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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. land — to come down
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. band — a music group
  7. rule — government
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. land — ground
  12. fine — all right
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fork — in a road
  17. band — a ring
  18. rule — a law

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