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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fork — in a road
  3. race — humankind
  4. ground — a position
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. land — a country
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. race — a contest
  12. ground — the earth
  13. land — ground
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. land — to come down
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. rule — a law
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mouse — the animal

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