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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bank — for money
  6. spell — letters
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. date — the fruit
  10. spring — of water
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bank — for money
  13. sharp — clever
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rule — government
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. spell — magic
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rule — a law

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