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 · chair · file · last · game · tear · season · march

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. season — in sport
  3. last — finally
  4. file — a line of people
  5. march — music
  6. last — to go on
  7. march — the month
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. file — a document
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. march — the month
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rule — a law
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — final
  19. season — of the year
  20. tear — to rip
  21. game — a match
  22. rule — government
  23. file — a tool
  24. chair — a leader

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