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 116 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: file · patient · race · object · last · sharp · perch · pass

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. object — to protest
  3. last — to go on
  4. pass — a permit
  5. perch — the fish
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. race — a contest
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. object — a thing
  10. file — a tool
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. file — a line of people
  13. last — final
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. object — an aim
  16. race — the arms race
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. race — humankind
  20. file — a document
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. last — finally
  24. sharp — clever

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