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: calf · chair · rush · rock · wave · spring · wound · capital

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. spring — a coil
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. spring — the season
  15. chair — a leader
  16. spring — of water
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rush — hurry
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. calf — a young animal

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