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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rash — a series
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. press — newspapers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — child
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — hasty
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kid — to tease
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wake — a trail
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. press — to push
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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