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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cell — a phone
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. spell — magic
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. spell — letters
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. field — for sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cue — for pool
  16. sharp — clever
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cue — a signal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. patient — a sick person

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