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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. firm — steady
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pit — a hole
  10. march — the month
  11. cold — not warm
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — a company
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. march — music
  24. patient — a sick person

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