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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. land — to come down
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rule — government
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. rule — a law
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. land — a country
  17. stand — to bear
  18. land — ground
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. capital — a city
  24. cap — of ice

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