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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. capital — money
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rush — hurry
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bark — to shout
  10. degree — an amount
  11. capital — a city
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. degree — temperature
  14. suit — in cards
  15. rule — a law
  16. current — happening now
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. spring — the season
  20. current — electric
  21. spring — of water
  22. current — of water
  23. rule — government
  24. capital — a big letter

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