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: row · capital · bass · season · board · pitcher · hide · band

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — a line
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. capital — money
  10. row — to paddle
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bass — low music
  16. band — a music group
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. band — a ring
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. season — to add flavour

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