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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. last — final
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rock — music
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. kick — in football
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — a break
  13. last — finally
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rock — a stone
  18. last — to go on
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cold — not warm
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rash — a series
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. cold — an illness

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