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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. game — a match
  2. cue — a hint
  3. ball — a great time
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cold — an illness
  6. spell — magic
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fine — high quality
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cold — not warm
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. mouse — the animal
  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