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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. march — the month
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pit — in a race
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. land — to come down
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. march — music
  15. key — in music
  16. land — a country
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pit — a hole
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. march — the month
  21. capital — money
  22. land — ground
  23. key — the most important part
  24. stand — on your feet

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