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: wound · file · row · root · chair · kick · lean · capital

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. capital — money
  3. file — a line of people
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lean — thin
  6. root — the cause
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. kick — in football
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wound — an injury
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chair — a leader
  15. row — a line
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. file — a tool
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. row — to paddle
  21. file — a document
  22. capital — a city
  23. root — of a word
  24. wound — an injury

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