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: club · scale · clip · lie · spell · rule · bound · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rule — government
  8. scale — size or range
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. clip — for paper
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. spell — magic
  16. bound — certain
  17. rule — a law
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. clip — a video
  20. club — a group
  21. bound — tied together
  22. club — for golf
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rule — to rule out

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