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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. board — to get on
  4. band — a music group
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. scale — in music
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bark — to shout
  9. rule — a law
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. date — the fruit
  13. board — a committee
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. scale — size or range
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cell — in biology
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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