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 116 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: bulb · chair · track · lie · rock · squash · content · capital

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chair — a leader
  3. track — a song
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rock — music
  7. squash — to crush
  8. content — happy
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. track — a path
  14. capital — a city
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. track — to keep track
  18. capital — money
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. lie — to recline
  24. squash — the vegetable

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