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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. vault — a safe
  3. cold — an illness
  4. net — for catching
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. net — in sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ground — crushed
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cold — not warm
  22. net — after costs
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wound — an injury

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