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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. current — happening now
  4. scale — size or range
  5. content — happy
  6. rule — a law
  7. last — to go on
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. last — final
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. current — electric
  16. pitch — completely
  17. content — the amount
  18. last — finally
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. snap — to click
  21. band — a music group
  22. scale — in music
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. current — of water

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