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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. degree — an amount
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. rash — a series
  15. fall — the season
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. capital — money
  18. degree — temperature
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. capital — a city
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stand — to bear
  24. degree — from a university

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