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: race · present · snap · cold · patient · jam · cap · fine

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cold — an illness
  4. race — humankind
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. present — a gift
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. race — a contest
  16. fine — all right
  17. race — the arms race
  18. present — the time now
  19. cold — not warm
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. snap — to click
  24. present — there

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