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: arm · mine · spell · fall · leaves · bear · rule · capital

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. spell — magic
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. fall — the season
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rule — government
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. capital — money
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rule — a law
  15. spell — letters
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. capital — a city
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bear — the animal

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