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: capital · spell · patient · cabinet · racket · tear · rest · ground

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. ground — the earth
  4. capital — a city
  5. ground — a position
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spell — letters
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spell — magic
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tear — from crying
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rest — what's left
  21. capital — money
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rest — a break
  24. capital — a big letter

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