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 always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spring — the season
  4. firm — decided
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stem — to come from
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. ball — a great time
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. net — in sport
  12. mine — for digging
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. firm — a company
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. spring — of water
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. firm — steady
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. spring — a coil
  24. patient — a sick person

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