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: can · last · track · rule · pass · shower · degree · mine

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — government
  3. track — a path
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pass — a permit
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. degree — an amount
  14. can — a tin
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. last — final
  18. degree — temperature
  19. shower — to wash
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. shower — rain
  24. rule — to rule out

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