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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. season — of the year
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. key — the most important part
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. season — in sport
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pound — a weight
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. hand — help
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rush — hurry
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cold — the Cold War

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