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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fall — the season
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fall — to drop
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mark — a grade
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ground — crushed
  18. foot — a measure
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hand — help
  23. present — the time now
  24. foot — part of the body

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