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: arm · patient · prune · bay · cold · face · ball · track

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. face — to point toward
  10. track — to keep track
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. prune — to trim
  15. face — part of the head
  16. track — a path
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. prune — to trim
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. face — to confront
  23. cold — not warm
  24. track — a song

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