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 120 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bulb — for light
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bulb — for light
  9. last — finally
  10. capital — money
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. board — a committee
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. file — a tool
  15. board — to get on
  16. last — to go on
  17. file — a document
  18. ball — a great time
  19. last — final
  20. ball — a dance
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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