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 120 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bore — to drill
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lean — to bend
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. lean — thin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bore — to tire
  17. ball — a great time
  18. hand — help
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. ball — a dance
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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