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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cap — a hat
  4. drill — army training
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. shower — to wash
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. shower — rain
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. branch — a division
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. drill — a practice
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cap — of ice
  24. chip — for betting

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