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: season · band · racket · capital · cabinet · track · last · land

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. track — to keep track
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. last — finally
  10. land — to come down
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. track — a path
  13. band — a music group
  14. capital — money
  15. season — of the year
  16. land — a country
  17. last — to go on
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — ground
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. season — in sport
  23. last — final
  24. track — a song

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