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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pass — a permit
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kid — child
  19. rule — government
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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