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: mate · kick · capital · firm · rash · field · leaves · date

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. field — a subject
  4. firm — steady
  5. rash — a series
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. rash — hasty
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. capital — money
  11. mate — a partner
  12. capital — a city
  13. field — for sport
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mate — to breed
  17. field — farmland
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. firm — a company
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. date — the fruit
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. firm — decided

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