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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. drill — army training
  5. last — finally
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. land — ground
  9. rule — a law
  10. drill — the tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bound — obliged
  16. land — a country
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rule — government
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bound — certain
  23. drill — a practice
  24. land — to come down

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