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: degree · rash · bound · lash · rush · last · capital · game

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rush — hurry
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bound — tied together
  7. capital — a city
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. last — final
  12. degree — temperature
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rash — hasty
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bound — certain
  21. degree — an amount
  22. capital — money
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rush — a thrill

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