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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mate — a friend
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mate — to breed
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rule — a law
  11. content — happy
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. content — the amount
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rule — government
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. patient — a sick person

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