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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bass — the fish
  3. drill — army training
  4. rule — a law
  5. squash — the sport
  6. current — electric
  7. wax — to grow
  8. degree — from a university
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. drill — a practice
  13. shower — rain
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bass — low music
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. degree — temperature
  23. drill — the tool
  24. degree — an amount

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