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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. game — a match
  4. file — a document
  5. march — the month
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. march — the month
  8. file — a tool
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rule — government
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. march — music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rule — a law
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fall — to drop
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fall — the season
  21. bass — low music
  22. squash — to crush
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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