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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. last — final
  3. bound — certain
  4. spell — magic
  5. bound — obliged
  6. staff — employees
  7. spell — a short time
  8. drill — the tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. fine — high quality
  12. land — to come down
  13. rest — what's left
  14. land — ground
  15. drill — army training
  16. land — a country
  17. fine — all right
  18. bound — tied together
  19. staff — a stick
  20. drill — a practice
  21. staff — employees
  22. spell — letters
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fine — a penalty

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