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: lean · cold · bass · bowl · tube · capital · file · cap

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. cap — a lid
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bass — low music
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. capital — a city
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. file — a tool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lean — thin
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bass — the fish
  20. capital — money
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. tube — a container
  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