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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mark — a trace
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. row — a line
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wound — an injury
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pass — a permit
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. last — finally

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