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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bound — certain
  3. mate — a friend
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. season — in sport
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. season — of the year
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. rule — government
  24. mate — a partner

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