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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. land — to come down
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. rule — a law
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. current — of water
  8. land — a country
  9. rash — hasty
  10. land — ground
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cap — a hat
  15. current — electric
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rule — government
  20. rash — a series
  21. current — happening now
  22. net — after costs
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rash — on the skin

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