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: cabinet · current · coach · content · bark · chip · capital · wax

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. content — the amount
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. capital — a city
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wax — to grow
  11. current — electric
  12. chip — for betting
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. content — happy
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. capital — money
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. chip — in a computer

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