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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. spring — the season
  3. game — a match
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rule — government
  11. snap — to click
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fine — high quality
  16. spring — of water
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. rule — a law
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pitch — completely
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rush — a thrill

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