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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bound — certain
  3. squash — the sport
  4. drill — a practice
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. rest — a break
  8. squash — to crush
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. shower — rain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rest — what's left
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wind — moving air
  23. branch — a division
  24. shower — to wash

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