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 116 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. capital — a city
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. capital — money
  7. row — a line
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pitch — completely
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mate — to breed

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