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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. club — for golf
  3. kid — child
  4. row — to paddle
  5. club — for dancing
  6. net — in sport
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. key — in music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. club — a group
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. key — the most important part
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. band — a ring
  19. row — a line
  20. kid — to tease
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wind — moving air
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. band — a music group

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