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 · spell · club · last · rest · mark · pitcher · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. spell — letters
  3. last — to go on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. rest — what's left
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rule — government
  13. club — a group
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — finally
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — a break
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rest — what's left
  23. last — final
  24. club — for golf

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