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: last · bass · cabinet · file · patient · object · pitch · perch

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. object — to protest
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bass — the fish
  6. last — final
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. object — an aim
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bass — low music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. last — to go on
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. last — finally
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. object — a thing
  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