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: fall · nail · temple · pass · chest · pitcher · mate · patient

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fall — the season
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mate — a partner
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. chest — a box
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. chest — of your body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fall — to drop

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