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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. rule — a law
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rule — government
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. ball — a dance
  12. capital — money
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. ball — a great time
  17. capital — a city
  18. jam — to spread on bread

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