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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rash — hasty
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rule — government
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. land — a country
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wound — an injury
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. land — to come down
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rash — a series
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rule — a law

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