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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. row — a line
  3. snap — to click
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rash — a series
  6. march — the month
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mine — for digging
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rash — hasty
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mate — a friend
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. charge — a price
  22. mate — to breed
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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