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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rash — a series
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fall — the season
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. swing — in golf
  9. last — final
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. swing — music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. swing — to play on
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wind — moving air
  21. last — finally
  22. stem — to come from
  23. last — to go on
  24. wind — to turn a key

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