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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. key — in music
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. clip — for paper
  19. lie — to recline
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. clip — a video
  23. branch — a division
  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