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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. club — for golf
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wound — an injury
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mark — a grade
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. chest — a box
  24. cold — an illness

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