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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fall — the season
  4. current — electric
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. current — of water
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rule — government
  14. squash — the sport
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. game — a match
  18. fall — to drop
  19. game — wild animals
  20. clip — to cut
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rule — a law
  23. squash — to crush
  24. clip — a video

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