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: chest · cabinet · trunk · capital · last · race · band · suit

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. capital — a city
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. race — the arms race
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. band — a ring
  8. suit — clothes
  9. last — to go on
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. band — a music group
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. last — finally
  20. suit — to fit
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. last — final
  24. suit — in cards

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