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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. last — to go on
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rule — government
  6. rock — music
  7. land — to come down
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. content — happy
  12. rock — a stone
  13. last — final
  14. shower — rain
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. last — finally
  21. squash — the sport
  22. land — ground
  23. rule — a law
  24. wax — for sculpting

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