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: charge · scale · band · patient · dip · race · saw · fall

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. race — humankind
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. race — a contest
  5. band — a ring
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. scale — in music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. band — a music group
  11. charge — electricity
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. fall — to drop
  14. charge — in control
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. race — the arms race
  19. dip — to sink
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fall — the season
  24. scale — size or range

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