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: chest · capital · row · firm · pit · drill · track · wave

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. track — a path
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. track — a song
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. chest — a box
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. firm — decided
  9. track — to keep track
  10. drill — a practice
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pit — in a race
  16. capital — money
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pit — a hole
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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