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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. field — a subject
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mug — to rob
  11. season — of the year
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. field — farmland
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — for sport
  17. tube — a container
  18. wake — a trail

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