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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. object — an aim
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. snap — to click
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. club — for golf
  8. land — to come down
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. object — a thing
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rush — hurry
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. squash — to crush
  19. object — to protest
  20. wound — an injury
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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