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's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pass — a permit
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. capital — a city
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. content — the amount
  20. rash — a series
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. capital — money
  24. content — happy

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