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: band · can · tube · coach · capital · fan · cold · degree

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. can — to be able to
  11. degree — temperature
  12. band — a ring
  13. tube — a container
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. degree — from a university
  18. band — a music group
  19. tube — the underground
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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