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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. squash — the sport
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. degree — from a university
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. content — happy
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. present — the time now
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. squash — to crush
  21. present — a gift
  22. content — the amount
  23. present — there
  24. wind — moving air

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