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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. drill — a practice
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. staff — a stick
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. staff — employees
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wind — moving air
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. capital — a city
  16. drill — army training
  17. bound — certain
  18. capital — money
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. prune — to trim
  24. staff — employees

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