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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. date — the fruit
  5. rule — a law
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bound — tied together
  8. root — the cause
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cold — an illness
  11. capital — money
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cold — not warm
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rule — government
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bound — certain
  23. root — of a word
  24. capital — a city

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