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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. net — in sport
  3. current — electric
  4. net — after costs
  5. ball — a great time
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rest — what's left
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ball — a dance
  11. object — to protest
  12. current — happening now
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. net — for catching
  15. current — of water
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. object — a thing
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. object — an aim
  22. rule — a law
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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