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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rule — a law
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rule — government
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. hand — help
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cold — an illness

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