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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mine — for digging
  11. band — a ring
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. chip — for betting
  14. season — in sport
  15. fork — in a road
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. band — a music group
  24. pitcher — a jug

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