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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. capital — money
  8. chip — for betting
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. row — a line
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. bound — tied together
  15. chip — to eat
  16. scale — size or range
  17. capital — a city
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pound — a weight
  21. scale — in music
  22. bound — certain
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bound — obliged

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