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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. file — a tool
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. file — a line of people
  13. field — a subject
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. file — a document
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. plane — in geometry

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