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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. last — final
  4. kick — in football
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rule — a law
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pop — music
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rule — government
  17. last — finally
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. last — to go on

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