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: fall · squash · pit · land · sharp · file · foot · capital

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. land — to come down
  3. file — a document
  4. capital — a city
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. land — ground
  10. fall — to drop
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. land — a country
  15. file — a tool
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. foot — a measure
  18. squash — to crush
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. capital — money
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pit — a hole
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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