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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rash — hasty
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rash — a series
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spring — a coil
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — the season
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. game — wild animals
  24. spring — of water

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