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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. scale — in music
  3. branch — a division
  4. land — to come down
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rule — a law
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. race — humankind
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. land — ground
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. race — a contest
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. land — a country
  16. board — a committee
  17. pit — in a race
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. board — to get on
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. race — the arms race

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