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: row · rush · pop · field · trunk · game · capital · face

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pop — music
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pop — soda
  6. capital — a city
  7. face — to confront
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rush — hurry
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. field — for sport
  16. capital — money
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. face — to point toward
  20. field — farmland
  21. face — part of the head
  22. field — a subject
  23. row — a line
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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