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: root · file · nail · capital · shower · patient · pit · face

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. capital — a city
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. shower — to wash
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. capital — money
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. file — a document
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. root — of a word
  17. face — to confront
  18. root — the cause
  19. face — to point toward
  20. root — of a plant
  21. face — part of the head
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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