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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rest — a break
  3. game — a match
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. hand — help
  10. sharp — clever
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. game — wild animals
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. scale — in music
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rest — what's left

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