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: capital · rule · snap · degree · wind · wave · date · key

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. snap — to click
  9. rule — government
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rule — a law
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. capital — money
  18. degree — an amount
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wind — moving air
  23. capital — a city
  24. date — the fruit

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