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: staff · degree · rush · lean · jam · wound · rule · capital

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lean — thin
  5. rule — a law
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rush — hurry
  10. staff — employees
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. capital — a city
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rule — government
  17. staff — employees
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. degree — an amount
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. capital — money
  24. wound — an injury

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