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: swing · toast · land · cell · leaves · rule · file · current

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rule — government
  3. land — a country
  4. rule — a law
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. current — electric
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. file — a document
  11. current — of water
  12. file — a line of people
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. swing — to play on
  16. cell — a phone
  17. land — to come down
  18. swing — in golf
  19. current — happening now
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. swing — music
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. toast — bread
  24. file — a tool

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