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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. ball — a great time
  3. drill — army training
  4. track — to keep track
  5. ground — the earth
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. net — for catching
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ground — crushed
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ground — a position
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — after costs
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. drill — a practice
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. drill — the tool
  23. capital — a city
  24. net — in sport

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