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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. land — to come down
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stand — to bear
  6. land — ground
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. last — to go on
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. capital — money
  14. bulb — for light
  15. last — finally
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. rule — a law
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. capital — a city
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. land — a country

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