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

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bat — the animal
  3. board — a committee
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — to get on
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. kid — child
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. kid — to tease
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ball — a dance
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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