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: cold · race · rule · rash · root · row · calf · ball

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. race — a contest
  5. root — of a word
  6. cold — not warm
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rule — a law
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. ball — a great time
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ball — a dance
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rash — a series
  21. cold — an illness
  22. root — of a plant
  23. race — humankind
  24. root — the cause

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