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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fall — to drop
  3. suit — clothes
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. land — ground
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. land — a country
  13. suit — to fit
  14. land — to come down
  15. row — a line
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rule — government
  19. suit — in cards
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rule — a law
  23. fall — the season
  24. row — to paddle

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