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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. land — a country
  3. rule — a law
  4. land — ground
  5. charge — a price
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. field — farmland
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. charge — in control
  11. tear — from crying
  12. land — to come down
  13. field — a subject
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tear — from crying
  20. clip — a video
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. field — for sport
  24. charge — electricity

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