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: snap · capital · roll · chair · fork · spell · lean · bark

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bark — to shout
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lean — thin
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. capital — money
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. roll — a cake
  13. spell — magic
  14. snap — to click
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spell — letters
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lean — to bend
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. roll — a list

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