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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. chest — of your body
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. staff — employees
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wound — an injury
  13. staff — a stick
  14. capital — a city
  15. field — for sport
  16. date — the fruit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. staff — employees
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. field — farmland
  21. capital — money
  22. chest — a box
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. field — a subject

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