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: bat · capital · wound · fan · ruler · foot · kick · rash

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. kick — in football
  15. rash — a series
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bat — the 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