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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bound — certain
  3. rule — government
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mug — to rob
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rule — a law
  10. mug — a cup
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. game — a match
  15. capital — a city
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mug — a face
  19. march — the month
  20. lie — to recline
  21. fork — in a road
  22. march — music
  23. game — wild animals
  24. capital — a big letter

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