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: field · rest · capital · fall · hand · temple · lean · calf

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. hand — in cards
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. field — farmland
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. fall — to drop
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hand — help
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. rest — a break
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fall — the season
  19. lean — to bend
  20. capital — a city
  21. fall — to drop
  22. capital — money
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lean — thin

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