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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — a city
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bank — for money
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bank — for money
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. spell — letters
  14. bank — of a river
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. capital — money
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spell — magic
  20. bulb — for light
  21. spell — a short time
  22. tube — a container
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bat — in an idiom

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