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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rest — a break
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cold — an illness
  17. face — to point toward
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mine — for digging
  21. kick — in football
  22. face — to confront
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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