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 116 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 · last · cue · bulb · staff · chair · object · pass

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. staff — employees
  3. capital — money
  4. last — to go on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bulb — for light
  9. last — final
  10. object — an aim
  11. last — finally
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. staff — employees
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. capital — a city

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