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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. scale — in music
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. last — to go on
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. scale — size or range
  18. hand — help
  19. file — a document
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. foot — a measure
  22. hand — in cards
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. stem — to come from

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