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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. prune — to trim
  3. capital — a city
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. track — a path
  6. scale — in music
  7. firm — a company
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. track — a song
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. ground — a position
  12. rush — hurry
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. season — in sport
  16. track — to keep track
  17. prune — to trim
  18. scale — size or range
  19. firm — steady
  20. season — of the year
  21. ground — crushed
  22. firm — decided
  23. ground — the earth
  24. scale — for weighing

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