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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bound — tied together
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pop — to visit
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. object — an aim
  9. race — the arms race
  10. object — to protest
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. march — the month
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. march — the month
  15. race — humankind
  16. pop — music
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. march — music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pop — soda
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. race — a contest
  24. object — a thing

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