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: tube · can · jam · shower · chip · capital · prune · march

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. march — the month
  3. chip — for betting
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. chip — to eat
  7. march — the month
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. shower — to wash
  11. can — to be able to
  12. shower — rain
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. can — a tin
  16. march — music
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. can — a tin
  20. tube — a container
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tube — the underground
  24. jam — a tight spot

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