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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. current — electric
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. capital — money
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bound — obliged
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. season — in sport
  17. board — a committee
  18. current — of water
  19. capital — a city
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — happening now
  22. cold — an illness
  23. season — of the year
  24. board — to get on

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