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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · bound · staff · spring · rash · fan · squash · clip

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bound — tied together
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. spring — a coil
  8. staff — a stick
  9. squash — the sport
  10. staff — employees
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — of water
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. clip — a video
  16. rash — hasty
  17. clip — for paper
  18. squash — to crush
  19. spring — the season
  20. staff — employees
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rule — a law
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rash — a series

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