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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · capital · file · patient · last · cap

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cap — a hat
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. vault — a safe
  10. last — final
  11. file — a tool
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. file — a document
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. last — to go on

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