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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rash — a series
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rule — government
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. capital — money
  12. band — a ring
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. band — a music group
  19. rule — a law
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cold — not warm

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