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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cold — an illness
  3. suit — to fit
  4. swing — in golf
  5. land — to come down
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. land — ground
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. suit — clothes
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. suit — in cards
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. land — a country
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cap — a lid
  21. swing — music
  22. cap — a hat
  23. swing — to play on
  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