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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. race — the arms race
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rule — government
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. race — a contest
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. clip — for paper
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. squash — the sport
  15. fall — to drop
  16. clip — a video
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. clip — to cut
  19. race — humankind
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. pass — a permit
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. fall — the season

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