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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. march — music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. march — the month
  14. season — in sport
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bore — to tire
  18. game — a match
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. march — the month
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bore — to drill

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