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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — to come down
  4. squash — to crush
  5. key — in music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fall — the season
  12. hand — help
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. chest — of your body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. land — a country
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hand — in cards
  24. chest — a box

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