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

Word bank: patient · wave · cold · root · present · chest · rule · race

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. rule — government
  6. root — the cause
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. race — the arms race
  16. root — of a word
  17. race — humankind
  18. present — the time now
  19. race — a contest
  20. present — a gift
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rule — a law
  23. present — there
  24. rule — to rule out

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