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: cold · rule · safe · capital · lie · tear · jam · wound

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. capital — a city
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cold — not warm
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rule — government
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rule — a law
  19. tear — from crying
  20. capital — money
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cold — an illness
  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