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

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. race — a contest
  3. spell — letters
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. spell — a short time
  6. race — humankind
  7. branch — a division
  8. pit — a hole
  9. race — the arms race
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. spell — magic
  13. rule — a law
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. content — the amount
  18. branch — of a bank

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