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 · cold · nail · rush · safe · cabinet · field · clip

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — final
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. field — a subject
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — finally
  12. field — for sport
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cold — an illness
  21. last — to go on
  22. field — farmland
  23. clip — a video
  24. rush — to hurry

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