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: plane · cold · foot · season · safe · patient · file · mate

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. foot — a measure
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mate — to breed
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. file — a tool
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mate — a friend
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. season — of the year
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. file — a document
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mate — a partner
  17. season — in sport
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cold — an illness
  23. safe — out of danger
  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