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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. foot — a measure
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. net — after costs
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spring — a coil
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — certain
  13. sharp — clever
  14. net — in sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. net — for catching
  17. spring — of water
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. spring — the season
  22. bound — tied together
  23. key — in music
  24. coach — a trainer

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