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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cold — an illness
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. ground — a position
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. roll — a list
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bark — to shout
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. roll — a cake
  17. row — a line
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. ground — crushed
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cold — not warm

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