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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · last · fork · bay · roll · rule

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. wind — moving air
  7. roll — a list
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rule — a law
  11. last — final
  12. roll — a cake
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. fork — a garden tool

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