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 120 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: racket · plane · prune · bat · track · stand · chip · capital

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. prune — to trim
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. track — a song
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — money
  9. plane — a tool
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chip — to eat
  16. capital — a city
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bat — the animal

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