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 120 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. spell — magic
  3. land — to come down
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. drill — army training
  10. rule — a law
  11. drill — the tool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rule — government
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. ball — a dance
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. land — ground
  19. wind — moving air
  20. drill — a practice
  21. spell — a short time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. spell — letters
  24. land — a country

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