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: file · fork · tube · court · fan · kick · capital · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. capital — a city
  3. tube — the underground
  4. capital — money
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fork — in a road
  8. kick — in football
  9. file — a tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tube — a container
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. present — there
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — a gift
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. court — of a king
  24. tube — in a tire

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