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 120 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: cabinet · clip · rush · capital · rock · lean · season · suit

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rock — music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. capital — money
  6. rush — hurry
  7. clip — a video
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. lean — to bend
  12. capital — a city
  13. lean — thin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. season — in sport
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. suit — clothes
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. season — of the year

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