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 124 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: file · band · key · fall · capital · saw · cap · spring

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. key — the most important part
  3. file — a document
  4. capital — money
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spring — of water
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. cap — of ice
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fall — the season
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fall — to drop
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. file — a tool
  19. capital — a city
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. saw — the tool

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