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: cell · ground · patient · roll · season · deal · degree · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cell — a phone
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. degree — an amount
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ground — the earth
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — a list
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. season — of the year
  17. ground — a position
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cell — in biology
  24. season — in sport

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