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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bound — obliged
  3. band — a ring
  4. bound — tied together
  5. row — to paddle
  6. last — to go on
  7. band — a music group
  8. last — finally
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — final
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. row — a line
  16. bound — certain
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. scale — in music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. scale — size or range
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. hide — animal skin

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