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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bat — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fall — to drop
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cap — a hat
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fall — the season

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