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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. rule — government
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mine — for digging
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wake — a trail
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ball — a great time
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rule — a law
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — an explosive

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