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: hand · cold · snap · mate · patient · mouse · pop · stick

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pop — to visit
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pop — soda
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hand — help
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pop — music
  20. snap — to click
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cold — an illness

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