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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pop — soda
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. land — ground
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pop — to visit
  10. land — a country
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pop — music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. land — to come down
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cold — an illness

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