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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mine — for digging
  4. scale — size or range
  5. lean — thin
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lean — to bend
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bank — for money
  12. shower — rain
  13. last — to go on
  14. bank — for money
  15. last — final
  16. shower — to wash
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. scale — in music
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. last — finally
  23. bank — of a river
  24. mine — belonging to me

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