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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spell — letters
  5. ground — a position
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ground — crushed
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — in sport
  18. spell — magic
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ground — the earth
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rush — hurry
  23. staff — employees
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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