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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rock — music
  4. race — a contest
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. staff — employees
  7. sharp — clever
  8. staff — employees
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mine — for digging
  11. staff — a stick
  12. rock — a stone
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. field — a subject
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. race — the arms race
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. race — humankind

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