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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. fine — a penalty
  2. kid — child
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. kid — to tease
  11. march — music
  12. clip — for paper
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. march — the month
  17. fine — high quality
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. fine — all right
  21. march — the month
  22. clip — a video
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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