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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rule — government
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. rule — a law
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. net — after costs
  7. pass — a permit
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. capital — a city
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. net — for catching
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. fall — the season
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. net — in sport

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