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 116 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: game · rest · file · capital · cap · bark · spell · bank

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cap — of ice
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. cap — a lid
  10. file — a tool
  11. cap — a hat
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. capital — money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rest — what's left
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. capital — a city
  22. spell — letters
  23. game — a match
  24. spell — magic

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