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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bulb — for light
  4. key — in music
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. kid — child
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bulb — for light
  9. key — the most important part
  10. root — the cause
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. root — of a plant
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cold — an illness
  17. root — of a word
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cold — not warm

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