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: rule · lie · land · last · squash · cap · root · field

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rule — government
  5. field — a subject
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — to come down
  8. cap — of ice
  9. root — of a plant
  10. last — final
  11. field — farmland
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. root — of a word
  14. squash — the sport
  15. land — a country
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. land — ground
  19. root — the cause
  20. field — for sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. cap — a hat

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