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: club · mug · rule · patient · wake · lie · march · wind

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — music
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rule — government
  12. club — for golf
  13. wake — a trail
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. club — for dancing
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mug — to rob
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. club — a group
  23. rule — a law
  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