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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rule — government
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rest — a break
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. rest — what's left
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rule — a law
  16. bear — the animal
  17. charge — in control
  18. clip — a video
  19. charge — a price
  20. key — in music
  21. charge — electricity
  22. rest — what's left
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. clip — for paper

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