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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. saw — the tool
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rash — hasty
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — a position
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  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