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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bore — to tire
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. chest — of your body
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bore — to drill
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chest — a box
  23. march — music
  24. patient — a sick person

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