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: sharp · lash · patient · bear · mine · cold · deal · trunk

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mine — for digging
  13. deal — to handle
  14. sharp — clever
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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