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 124 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. clip — a video
  13. rest — a break
  14. bound — certain
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bound — tied together
  24. patient — a sick person

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