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: ground · cap · capital · root · staff · hand · bass · fine

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bass — the fish
  3. fine — all right
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bass — low music
  6. root — of a word
  7. fine — high quality
  8. hand — help
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cap — a lid
  14. capital — money
  15. root — the cause
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hand — in cards
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. root — of a plant
  21. ground — crushed
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. staff — employees
  24. cap — a hat

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