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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. last — finally
  7. chair — a leader
  8. field — for sport
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. field — a subject
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. last — final
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. saw — the tool
  20. degree — temperature
  21. saw — the tool
  22. last — to go on
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. field — farmland

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