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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · spell · staff · patient · lie · shower · press · cell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. shower — rain
  3. staff — employees
  4. press — to push
  5. spell — magic
  6. cell — a phone
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. drill — a practice
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lie — to recline
  11. drill — army training
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cell — in biology
  15. staff — a stick
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. press — a publisher
  18. drill — the tool
  19. shower — to wash
  20. press — newspapers
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. staff — employees

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