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 · fall · mouse · dip · calf · march · tube

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. march — the month
  3. capital — money
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — the month
  7. capital — a city
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fall — to drop
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. march — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fall — the season
  18. tear — from crying
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. tear — to rip
  23. calf — a young animal
  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