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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. spell — letters
  3. stem — to come from
  4. ground — the earth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wind — moving air
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. ground — crushed
  16. spell — magic
  17. bass — low music
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. spell — a short time
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. ground — a position
  23. rule — government
  24. wind — to turn a key

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