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 116 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: bound · wax · rule · swing · trunk · capital · ruler · kid

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — government
  3. bound — certain
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. kid — to tease
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. capital — a city
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wax — to grow
  12. swing — music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. capital — money
  17. kid — child
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bound — obliged
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. ruler — for measuring

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