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: game · club · capital · row · land · bay · mark · cap

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cap — a hat
  6. game — a match
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. land — a country
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. capital — money
  12. row — to paddle
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cap — of ice
  19. club — a group
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. row — a line
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. capital — a city

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