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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. last — finally
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mug — a cup
  6. last — to go on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mug — a face
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. last — final
  13. cold — not warm
  14. capital — money
  15. squash — to crush
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mug — to rob
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cold — an illness
  24. squash — the vegetable

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