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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fall — to drop
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. fall — to drop
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. deal — to handle
  10. scale — in music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wind — moving air
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. can — a tin
  21. snap — to click
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. fall — the season
  24. can — a tin

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