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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. suit — to fit
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wound — an injury
  5. face — part of the head
  6. land — to come down
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. suit — clothes
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. suit — in cards
  19. face — to confront
  20. mark — a grade
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rule — a law
  24. snap — to click

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