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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wind — moving air
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. file — a tool
  5. last — finally
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. file — a document
  10. last — final
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. last — to go on
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. club — for dancing
  19. stock — goods
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. file — a line of people
  22. club — a group
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. club — for golf

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