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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rest — a break
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rest — what's left
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. saw — the tool
  7. clip — to cut
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rest — what's left
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wax — to grow
  14. clip — a video
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. clip — for paper
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. shower — to wash

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