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: rule · race · prune · object · last · track · press · tube

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rule — government
  3. press — to push
  4. tube — the underground
  5. press — a publisher
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. race — a contest
  8. last — to go on
  9. race — humankind
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. last — finally
  14. object — an aim
  15. rule — a law
  16. object — to protest
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. last — final
  21. track — a song
  22. prune — to trim
  23. press — newspapers
  24. object — a thing

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