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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. hand — help
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — in cards
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cell — a phone
  8. lean — thin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. track — a path
  11. press — to push
  12. cell — in biology
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. lean — to bend
  17. land — a country
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. land — ground
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. last — final
  23. land — to come down
  24. track — to keep track

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