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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bass — low music
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. court — for sport
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — of a king
  11. bound — certain
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — the tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. drill — army training
  24. court — of law

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