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

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. club — a group
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. capital — money
  6. lean — thin
  7. capital — a city
  8. club — for golf
  9. cap — a hat
  10. club — for dancing
  11. board — to get on
  12. cap — of ice
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cap — a lid
  16. file — a tool
  17. board — a committee
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rash — a series
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. calf — a young animal

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