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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cold — an illness
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cold — not warm
  8. spring — of water
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cap — of ice
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cap — a hat
  15. press — to push
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cap — a lid
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cell — a phone
  22. spring — a coil
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spring — the season

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