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: chair · bass · fall · saw · mark · land · capital · can

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. land — a country
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. capital — money
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — the fish
  9. land — to come down
  10. can — a tin
  11. land — ground
  12. can — a tin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bass — low music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fall — the season
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bass — the instrument

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