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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. present — a gift
  3. field — a subject
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. file — a document
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — a city
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. field — for sport
  10. present — the time now
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cap — a hat
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cap — of ice
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. field — farmland
  21. present — there
  22. march — music
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lie — to recline

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