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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rock — music
  4. sharp — clever
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hand — help
  8. band — a ring
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. last — to go on
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rock — a stone
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. band — a music group
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. last — finally

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