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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. squash — the sport
  3. last — final
  4. present — there
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cell — a phone
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. last — to go on
  10. present — the time now
  11. spring — the season
  12. rule — a law
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rule — government
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. present — a gift
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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