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: chip · stock · band · wax · can · ground · court · capital

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. capital — a city
  3. stock — shares
  4. ground — the earth
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. court — of law
  9. band — a music group
  10. court — of a king
  11. band — a ring
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. can — a tin
  19. stock — goods
  20. chip — for betting
  21. can — to be able to
  22. court — for sport
  23. capital — money
  24. can — a tin

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