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: stick · prune · bulb · ground · rule · chair · club · capital

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. club — for golf
  3. rule — a law
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ground — the earth
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. capital — a city
  17. rule — government
  18. club — for dancing
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. ground — a position
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. club — a group
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rule — to rule out

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