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: firm · cabinet · file · spring · kid · season · cap · bat

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cap — a hat
  4. firm — decided
  5. spring — of water
  6. file — a line of people
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. firm — steady
  9. spring — the season
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. firm — a company
  14. bat — the animal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. spring — a coil
  18. season — of the year
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kid — child
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. cap — a lid

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