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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. rash — a series
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rule — a law
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cold — an illness
  24. fork — a garden tool

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