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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. capital — a city
  3. tear — from crying
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. file — a tool
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. file — a document
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rash — a series
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. capital — money
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. deal — to handle
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rash — hasty
  23. shower — rain
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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