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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. lean — thin
  7. object — to protest
  8. board — a committee
  9. rush — hurry
  10. object — an aim
  11. board — to get on
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. object — a thing
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. band — a music group
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. lean — to bend

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