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: cold · lie · kick · fan · patient · wake · bear · sharp

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lie — to recline
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kick — in football
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wake — a trail
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bear — the animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cold — an illness
  24. patient — a sick person

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