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: wound · march · saw · fan · date · staff · shower · rush

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. shower — to wash
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. rush — hurry
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. date — the fruit
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. staff — employees
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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