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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. can — a tin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wind — moving air
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a tool
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. season — in sport
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. file — a line of people
  15. season — of the year
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rush — hurry
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. can — to be able to
  22. ball — a dance
  23. file — a document
  24. rush — a thrill

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