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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mug — a cup
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. firm — a company
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cold — not warm
  11. file — a document
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mug — a face
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pop — soda
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pop — to visit
  21. file — a tool
  22. pop — music
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mug — to rob

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