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: capital · temple · face · season · rush · chair · rule · trunk

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. capital — a city
  3. face — to point toward
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. season — in sport
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. face — part of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rush — hurry
  17. season — of the year
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. capital — money
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. capital — a big letter

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