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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · rule · wind · patient · scale · arm · vault · file

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. file — a document
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. rule — a law
  8. land — to come down
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. scale — in music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. land — a country
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. land — ground
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rule — government
  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