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: drill · mark · root · chest · season · mine · capital · wound

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wound — an injury
  3. season — of the year
  4. capital — money
  5. chest — a box
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wound — an injury
  8. drill — a practice
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. season — in sport
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. capital — a city
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mine — for digging
  22. root — the cause
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. root — of a word

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