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 124 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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wind — moving air
  6. snap — to click
  7. file — a tool
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. last — finally
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wind — moving air
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. rash — a series
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. file — a document
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. pitch — a sports field

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