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: fan · capital · jam · leaves · court · lash · rock · wax

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wax — to grow
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rock — music
  6. capital — money
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rock — a stone
  13. court — for sport
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. court — of law
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. court — of a king
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. capital — a big letter

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