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 116 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: spell · fall · cap · fine · spring · pitch · race · file

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitch — completely
  4. spell — magic
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. file — a tool
  12. cap — of ice
  13. file — a line of people
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fall — the season
  18. race — humankind
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. race — a contest
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. file — a document
  24. spell — letters

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