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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. roll — a list
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rule — government
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. roll — a cake
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. band — a ring
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mine — for digging
  17. clip — a video
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. race — humankind
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rule — a law
  23. race — the arms race
  24. band — a music group

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