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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · key · pound · patient · court · tear

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. key — for a lock
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pound — a weight
  8. key — the most important part
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. court — of law
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. key — in music
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. tear — to rip
  17. court — of a king
  18. 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