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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. cap — a hat
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. last — to go on
  10. spring — the season
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rash — a series
  14. rush — hurry
  15. deal — to handle
  16. row — a line
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. last — final
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cap — a lid
  24. last — finally

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