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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. pound — a weight
  2. march — the month
  3. craft — boats
  4. march — music
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. last — final
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. scale — in music
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. last — to go on
  16. rule — government
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rule — a law
  23. march — the month
  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