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: land · ruler · roll · clip · rule · straw · mine · arm

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. roll — a list
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. land — a country
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. clip — a video
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. clip — for paper
  16. land — to come down
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. roll — a cake
  20. land — ground
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. mine — belonging to me

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