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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. net — after costs
  11. file — a tool
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. file — a document
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. file — a line of people
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bass — the fish
  20. net — for catching
  21. bass — low music
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. net — in sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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