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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rest — what's left
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. club — for golf
  8. last — final
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. last — to go on
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bat — the animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. last — finally
  24. club — a group

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