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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. squash — the sport
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. object — an aim
  16. rash — a series
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. row — a line
  19. object — a thing
  20. roll — a list
  21. dip — to sink
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. roll — on a roll

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