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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — hurry
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. clip — a video
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wind — moving air
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rash — a series
  14. fall — the season
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fall — to drop
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pit — in a race
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. vault — a safe
  24. rush — to hurry

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