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: snap · patient · wake · wound · season · nail · suit · cold

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cold — not warm
  8. snap — to click
  9. wake — a trail
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. season — in sport
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — clothes
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — of the year
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. suit — in cards
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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