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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rash — a series
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. last — to go on
  8. ground — crushed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — the earth
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rash — hasty
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. spring — of water
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ground — a position
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spring — the season
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rash — on the 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