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 120 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 · chest · lean · bowl · bore · cell · rash · charge

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rule — a law
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rash — a series
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bore — to drill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. charge — electricity
  14. lean — thin
  15. rule — government
  16. charge — in control
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. charge — a price
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. chest — a box
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cell — in biology

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