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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. game — a match
  9. stock — goods
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rule — government
  12. game — wild animals
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stock — shares
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. drill — army training
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. ball — a great time
  22. drill — a practice
  23. rule — a law
  24. stock — a soup base

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