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: bat · band · mug · race · mark · ball · patient · racket

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mug — a cup
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bat — the animal
  9. band — a ring
  10. mug — a face
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. band — a music group
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. race — humankind
  21. mark — a trace
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mug — to rob
  24. band — a rubber band

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