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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. present — a gift
  4. file — a tool
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. march — the month
  9. present — there
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. march — music
  12. present — the time now
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rash — a series
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. file — a line of people
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. march — the month
  21. file — a document
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. calf — of the leg
  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