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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cold — an illness
  3. race — a contest
  4. last — finally
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. saw — the tool
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. race — humankind
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. vault — a safe
  14. race — the arms race
  15. last — to go on
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. plane — a tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cold — not warm
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. plane — in geometry

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