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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pit — a hole
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. field — for sport
  10. rule — a law
  11. key — in music
  12. drill — army training
  13. key — the most important part
  14. field — farmland
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. spring — of water
  17. field — a subject
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rule — government
  20. cold — an illness
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cold — not warm
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pit — in a race

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