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: squash · temple · capital · land · cabinet · cell · mate · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. land — to come down
  8. mate — a friend
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mate — to breed
  11. squash — the sport
  12. firm — decided
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. capital — a city
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cell — a phone
  19. firm — steady
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. capital — money
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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