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: cue · craft · field · bass · chair · capital · press · cap

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bass — low music
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. craft — a skill
  9. capital — money
  10. press — a publisher
  11. capital — a city
  12. field — for sport
  13. craft — boats
  14. press — to push
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cue — a signal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. field — farmland
  20. chair — a leader
  21. field — a subject
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cap — a hat

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