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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. shower — to wash
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rule — a law
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. file — a line of people
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rule — government
  18. shower — rain
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. file — a document
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. hand — help
  24. file — a 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