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: craft · cabinet · capital · band · jam · object · deal · kid

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. band — a music group
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. band — a ring
  7. object — to protest
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. object — an aim
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. craft — boats
  15. kid — child
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. craft — a skill
  18. kid — to tease
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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