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 116 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bear — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. face — to confront
  7. row — to paddle
  8. march — the month
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cell — in biology
  12. spell — letters
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. face — to point toward
  15. spell — a short time
  16. march — music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. spell — magic
  21. row — a line
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bear — the animal

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