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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fork — in a road
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wax — to grow
  17. band — a music group
  18. rule — a law
  19. band — a ring
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ball — a great time
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. capital — money
  24. snap — to click

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