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 · field · lie · wound · lash · capital · jam · pitcher

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. capital — a city
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cap — of ice
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cap — a hat
  15. field — for sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. capital — money
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. field — a subject
  24. cap — a lid

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