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 120 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 I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. last — to go on
  4. bound — obliged
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. band — a music group
  9. cue — for pool
  10. last — finally
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cap — of ice
  13. last — final
  14. band — a ring
  15. bound — certain
  16. branch — a division
  17. hand — help
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rule — government
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rule — a law
  24. bound — tied together

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