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: spell · mine · cold · board · rest · capital · toast · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. board — a committee
  3. capital — a city
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. spell — a short time
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mine — for digging
  9. toast — bread
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rest — what's left
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. rest — what's left
  14. capital — money
  15. spell — letters
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. march — the month
  18. rest — a break
  19. board — to get on
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. spell — magic
  24. cold — the Cold War

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