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: patient · cold · scale · key · face · sharp · current · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. scale — size or range
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. saw — the tool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cold — an illness
  9. current — electric
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cold — not warm
  12. scale — in music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. face — part of the head
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — to confront
  19. current — of water
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. key — for a lock
  22. face — to point toward
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cold — the Cold War

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