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: bass · track · capital · season · calf · swing · cold · mug

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. swing — in golf
  3. season — in sport
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cold — an illness
  6. swing — to play on
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. capital — money
  10. mug — a face
  11. track — a path
  12. capital — a city
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. track — a song
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — to rob
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. season — of the year
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. swing — music
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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