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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. land — a country
  3. fine — all right
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — ground
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hand — in cards
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. hand — help
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. land — to come down
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. deal — to handle
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rest — a break

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