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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. press — to push
  8. lie — to recline
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. band — a ring
  12. race — a contest
  13. land — to come down
  14. race — humankind
  15. land — a country
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. land — ground
  24. press — a publisher

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