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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rest — a break
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — for catching
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. net — in sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. net — after costs
  12. cold — an illness
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cold — not warm
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chip — for betting
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rule — government
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. fan — to cool the air

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