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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — ground
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. land — to come down
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ground — the earth
  9. land — a country
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rule — government
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — a position
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stock — shares
  19. fall — the season
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stock — goods

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