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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bound — certain
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rule — a law
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bass — the fish
  8. season — of the year
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bass — low music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rule — government
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. saw — the tool

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