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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bass — the fish
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. capital — a city
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rule — government
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. capital — money
  13. rule — a law
  14. net — for catching
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. squash — the sport
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. squash — to crush
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. bass — low music
  24. coach — a trainer

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