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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mine — for digging
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bass — low music
  9. field — farmland
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bass — the fish
  14. field — a subject
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. clip — a video
  20. capital — a city
  21. field — for sport
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. clip — for paper

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