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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. stem — to come from
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. track — a song
  13. march — music
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rush — hurry
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. track — a path

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