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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. file — a tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. file — a document
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pitch — completely
  11. root — of a plant
  12. last — final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. last — finally
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. root — the cause
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. root — of a word
  20. last — to go on
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. file — a line of people
  24. patient — a sick person

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