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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. row — a line
  4. rule — a law
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wax — to grow
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rule — government
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. land — to come down
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. rash — a series
  22. land — a country
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. land — ground

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