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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. foot — a measure
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chair — a leader
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. net — after costs
  13. wound — an injury
  14. march — music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — an injury
  22. march — the month
  23. chair — to sit on
  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