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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. clip — to cut
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. clip — for paper
  8. hand — help
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. clip — a video
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. can — to be able to
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. spell — a short time
  19. roll — a cake
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. can — a tin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. roll — a list
  24. can — a tin

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