ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. season — of the year
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. ball — a dance
  7. prune — to trim
  8. deal — to handle
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. capital — money
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ball — a great time
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. chair — a leader
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chair — a professorship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com