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: rule · file · land · cap · fork · face · capital · season

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. land — ground
  3. season — in sport
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. face — part of the head
  6. land — to come down
  7. capital — a city
  8. cap — a hat
  9. season — of the year
  10. land — a country
  11. cap — a lid
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. file — a document
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rule — government
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rule — a law
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. capital — money
  23. face — to confront
  24. file — a tool

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