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: season · chest · stem · saw · nail · race · capital · current

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. capital — a city
  4. current — electric
  5. race — the arms race
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. capital — money
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. current — of water
  10. race — a contest
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. current — happening now
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. chest — a box
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. season — of the year
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chest — of your body
  22. race — humankind
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — to add flavour

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