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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bass — the fish
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. face — to point toward
  8. capital — money
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. hand — in cards
  11. face — part of the head
  12. current — electric
  13. bass — low music
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. current — happening now
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. current — of water
  19. prune — to trim
  20. face — to confront
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. squash — to crush
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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