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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pop — soda
  4. track — to keep track
  5. capital — money
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. degree — temperature
  9. track — a path
  10. degree — an amount
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pop — music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pop — to visit
  15. track — a song
  16. cap — a hat
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. capital — a city
  22. rest — a break
  23. cap — a lid
  24. degree — from a university

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