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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. capital — a city
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rule — government
  6. saw — the tool
  7. swing — in golf
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. swing — music
  12. capital — money
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cell — a phone
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. rule — a law
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — to shout
  22. kick — in football
  23. swing — to play on
  24. saw — the tool

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