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: field · shower · saw · plane · cabinet · capital · bear · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. shower — to wash
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bear — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. field — a subject
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — money
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. march — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. capital — a city
  17. saw — the tool
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. field — farmland
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. field — for sport
  24. bear — to put up with

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