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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. 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. sharp — clever
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. last — to go on
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. lean — to bend
  6. branch — a division
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tear — to rip
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — a law
  14. last — finally
  15. tear — from crying
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. last — final
  18. lean — thin
  19. land — to come down
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. 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