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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rush — hurry
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. file — a tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. track — to keep track
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a document
  11. craft — boats
  12. file — a line of people
  13. craft — a skill
  14. track — a path
  15. mine — for digging
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. track — a song
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. craft — a handicraft

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