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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. spell — letters
  4. cap — a hat
  5. spell — magic
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cap — a lid
  12. band — a music group
  13. fall — the season
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spell — a short time
  18. band — a ring
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — government
  22. rash — a series
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rash — on the skin

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