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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rest — what's left
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rest — what's left
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spring — the season
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cold — an illness
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rest — a break
  14. spring — of water
  15. cold — not warm
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. spell — letters
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spell — a short time
  24. calf — a young animal

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