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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spell — magic
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spell — letters
  6. capital — a city
  7. mate — a friend
  8. drill — the tool
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mate — a partner
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rest — a break
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rest — what's left
  15. drill — army training
  16. file — a line of people
  17. drill — a practice
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mate — to breed
  22. file — a tool
  23. capital — money
  24. file — a document

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