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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rule — government
  5. land — a country
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pass — a permit
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. march — music
  12. rule — a law
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. land — ground
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tear — from crying
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. land — to come down
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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