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: bank · wind · shower · fine · last · nail · temple · ground

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. last — to go on
  6. ground — crushed
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bank — of a river
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fine — all right
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bank — for money
  14. last — finally
  15. shower — rain
  16. ground — a position
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wind — moving air
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bank — for money
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fine — a penalty

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