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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rule — government
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. shower — rain
  7. fall — the season
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. bound — tied together
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bound — certain
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rule — a law
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. race — humankind
  17. fall — to drop
  18. shower — to wash

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