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 120 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: cue · track · bound · row · object · pitch · capital · ground

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bound — obliged
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cue — for pool
  5. row — a line
  6. ground — crushed
  7. track — a path
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bound — certain
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. object — an aim
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pitch — completely
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. track — a song
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. cue — a hint

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