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: cue · capital · squash · row · band · object · last · deal

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. capital — a city
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cue — for pool
  5. last — finally
  6. band — a ring
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. squash — to crush
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. deal — to handle
  12. row — a line
  13. cue — a signal
  14. band — a music group
  15. last — to go on
  16. squash — the sport
  17. last — final
  18. object — to protest
  19. row — to paddle
  20. object — an aim
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. object — a thing
  24. capital — money

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