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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. key — for a lock
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. key — in music
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rash — hasty
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rash — a series
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. ground — crushed

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