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 116 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. clip — for paper
  4. degree — an amount
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. clip — to cut
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. degree — temperature
  9. face — part of the head
  10. scale — size or range
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wake — a trail
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — a video
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. squash — the sport
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. scale — in music
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fine — all right
  23. squash — to crush
  24. face — to confront

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