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: can · patient · mug · cold · band · rule · lie · stock

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. can — a tin
  3. band — a ring
  4. lie — to recline
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. can — to be able to
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mug — a face
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stock — shares
  13. rule — a law
  14. can — a tin
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. mug — a cup
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rule — government
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stock — goods
  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