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 · leaves · land · cell · wave · field · racket · chair

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. land — ground
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cell — a phone
  11. field — farmland
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cell — in biology
  14. field — a subject
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. field — for sport
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rule — government
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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