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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. march — the month
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wake — a trail
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bank — for money
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bank — for money
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cold — not warm
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bank — of a river
  24. hide — to keep secret

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