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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. staff — employees
  3. net — for catching
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. object — an aim
  7. cold — not warm
  8. staff — employees
  9. clip — for paper
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. track — a path
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. object — to protest
  16. net — in sport
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. clip — to cut
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cold — an illness
  22. net — after costs
  23. track — a song
  24. clip — a video

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