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: staff · bass · bark · capital · fan · prune · chip · track

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. capital — money
  4. track — a song
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. staff — employees
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — a city
  17. bass — the fish
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chip — to eat
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bass — low music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. staff — employees

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