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: rest · date · rule · drill · tube · tear

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rule — a law
  3. drill — a practice
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rule — government
  9. rest — what's left
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rest — what's left
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tube — a container
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. tear — from crying
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. tear — from crying

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