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 120 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: tear · capital · chair · club · firm · patient · fall · cap

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. firm — decided
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. firm — a company
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cap — of ice
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. capital — a city
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cap — a hat
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cap — a lid
  18. club — a group
  19. fall — the season
  20. firm — steady
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. tear — to rip
  23. chair — a leader
  24. tear — from crying

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