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: root · rush · land · bound · pit · game · capital · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bound — obliged
  6. game — a match
  7. capital — a city
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bound — certain
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. land — a country
  13. root — of a word
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. land — to come down
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — money
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rush — hurry
  21. root — of a plant
  22. land — ground
  23. root — the cause
  24. pit — in a race

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