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: game · lean · scale · tube · rule · rest · roll · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rest — a break
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. lean — thin
  9. game — wild animals
  10. scale — in music
  11. lean — to bend
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rule — a law
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tube — a container
  16. rest — what's left
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rest — what's left
  23. roll — a cake
  24. scale — for weighing

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