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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. press — to push
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cold — an illness
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. press — a publisher
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mate — a partner
  18. hand — help
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. press — newspapers
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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