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 · capital · last · rush · content · pitch · chair · wind

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pitch — completely
  3. last — final
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. content — the amount
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. capital — money
  15. file — a line of people
  16. content — happy
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. file — a document

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