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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bore — to tire
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bore — to drill
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fall — the season
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. face — to confront
  11. capital — money
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cold — not warm
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cold — an illness
  19. fall — to drop
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. march — the month

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