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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rock — a stone
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. land — to come down
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. squash — the sport
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. land — ground
  10. stand — to bear
  11. squash — to crush
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fall — to drop
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. clip — for paper
  16. kick — in football
  17. fall — the season
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. row — a line
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rock — music
  24. fall — to drop

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