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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rule — a law
  3. capital — money
  4. net — in sport
  5. bound — obliged
  6. shower — to wash
  7. toast — bread
  8. shower — rain
  9. net — after costs
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rule — government
  13. net — for catching
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. capital — a city
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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