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 120 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. file — a tool
  7. land — a country
  8. file — a document
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rule — a law
  11. degree — an amount
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. land — ground
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. degree — from a university
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. file — a line of people
  19. land — to come down
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. snap — to click
  22. degree — temperature
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rule — government

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