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: track · pit · stem · content · bore · capital · jam · march

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. content — the amount
  3. track — a song
  4. stem — to come from
  5. capital — money
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. track — a path
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. march — music
  10. content — happy
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pit — a hole
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. march — the month
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — in a race
  19. track — to keep track
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. capital — a city
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. stem — a stem cell

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