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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. clip — a video
  3. spell — letters
  4. firm — steady
  5. rule — government
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fine — all right
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. lean — thin
  10. spell — a short time
  11. firm — a company
  12. clip — to cut
  13. current — of water
  14. march — the month
  15. clip — for paper
  16. march — the month
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rule — a law
  19. current — happening now
  20. firm — decided
  21. spell — magic
  22. current — electric
  23. lean — to bend
  24. march — music

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