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: fine · foot · band · perch · deal · file · capital · face

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fine — high quality
  5. perch — the fish
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. capital — money
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. face — to point toward
  11. capital — a city
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. face — to confront
  16. file — a line of people
  17. deal — to handle
  18. file — a tool
  19. face — part of the head
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. file — a document
  24. fine — all right

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