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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. capital — a city
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. capital — money
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. band — a ring
  11. season — of the year
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. season — in sport
  16. band — a music group
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rest — a break
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rest — what's left
  22. swing — music
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. ball — a dance

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