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: snap · wound · cell · racket · land · can · wax · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. snap — to click
  5. can — a tin
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wax — to grow
  9. land — ground
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rule — government
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cell — a phone
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. land — a country
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — to come down
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. can — a tin
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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