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: capital · bay · bore · stem · mark · face · game · press

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mark — a grade
  5. game — wild animals
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mark — a trace
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bore — to drill
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. press — to push
  15. capital — money
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bore — to tire
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bay — a horse colour

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