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 120 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: march · nail · last · patient · bore · track · current · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. last — finally
  3. march — music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. track — to keep track
  6. last — to go on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. current — of water
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. current — happening now
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. track — a path
  17. current — electric
  18. bore — to tire
  19. last — final
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — a series
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. march — the month
  24. track — a song

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