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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. craft — a skill
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — of the year
  9. pop — soda
  10. rule — government
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. craft — boats
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pop — music
  24. rule — a law

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