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: cap · bulb · cue · rash · march · capital · tear · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rash — a series
  5. capital — a city
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cap — a lid
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. march — music
  14. cue — for pool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ground — the earth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cap — of ice
  24. capital — money

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