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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pound — a weight
  8. spring — a coil
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spring — of water
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. spring — the season
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bound — certain
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lie — to recline
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. lie — an untruth

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