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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. drill — a practice
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rule — government
  6. field — farmland
  7. march — the month
  8. rule — a law
  9. stock — goods
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — happy
  14. drill — army training
  15. field — a subject
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. field — for sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stock — shares
  20. march — music
  21. content — the amount
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. march — the month
  24. drill — the tool

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