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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. clip — for paper
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. field — a subject
  10. drill — a practice
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. field — for sport
  13. board — a committee
  14. field — farmland
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. clip — a video
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. board — to get on
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. clip — to cut
  24. arm — a part of something

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