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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. spell — magic
  4. ball — a great time
  5. spell — letters
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. capital — a city
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spring — the season
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spring — of water
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rule — a law
  20. press — to push
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rule — government

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