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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cold — not warm
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cold — an illness
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. key — in music
  8. march — the month
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. key — the most important part
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mug — a face
  13. present — there
  14. deal — to handle
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mug — to rob
  23. present — the time now
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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