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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cell — a phone
  5. last — finally
  6. bound — certain
  7. land — ground
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — to come down
  12. cell — in biology
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. last — to go on
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. last — final
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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