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: kid · fall · patient · roll · rush · cap · net · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fall — the season
  6. net — after costs
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rush — hurry
  14. kid — to tease
  15. last — final
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. roll — a list
  18. cap — a lid
  19. kid — child
  20. last — finally
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cap — a hat

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