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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. capital — money
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. content — happy
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. content — the amount
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. file — a line of people
  17. capital — a city
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. file — a document
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. plane — a tool

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