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: deal · cell · capital · clip · march · pit · leaves · present

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. march — music
  4. pit — a hole
  5. clip — for paper
  6. march — the month
  7. deal — to handle
  8. present — the time now
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pit — in a race
  11. capital — money
  12. clip — a video
  13. cell — in biology
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. capital — a city
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. clip — to cut
  20. present — a gift
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. present — there
  23. cell — a phone
  24. march — the month

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