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

Word bank: club · land · rash · mine · snap · season · lie · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. club — for golf
  3. season — in sport
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. land — to come down
  9. season — of the year
  10. snap — to click
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rash — a series
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. land — a country
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. club — a group
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rule — a law
  19. lie — to recline
  20. land — ground
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. club — for dancing
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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