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: fall · rush · row · bulb · jam · swing · patient · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. rush — hurry
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fall — to drop
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. swing — in golf
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. fall — the season
  16. swing — music
  17. fall — to drop
  18. row — a line
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bulb — for light
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kick — in football

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