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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. last — final
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. charge — a price
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rash — hasty
  9. shower — to wash
  10. can — a tin
  11. land — ground
  12. clip — a video
  13. charge — electricity
  14. last — finally
  15. land — a country
  16. rash — a series
  17. clip — to cut
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. shower — rain
  21. last — to go on
  22. land — to come down
  23. fine — all right
  24. can — a tin

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