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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · present · toast · wax · band · race

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. band — a music group
  3. capital — money
  4. present — a gift
  5. race — a contest
  6. toast — bread
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. band — a ring
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. capital — a city
  14. present — the time now
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. present — there
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. band — a rubber band

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