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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. file — a tool
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. net — in sport
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. file — a document
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cell — in biology
  13. file — a line of people
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rash — a series
  17. net — after costs
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. net — for catching
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rash — hasty

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