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: pitch · hand · lash · patient · face · cold · rash · staff

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cold — an illness
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. staff — employees
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rash — a series
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cold — not warm
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pitch — completely
  15. staff — employees
  16. face — to confront
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. hand — help
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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