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 120 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: patient · cold · board · tube · degree · nail · fork · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cold — an illness
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tube — a container
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. board — to get on
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fork — in a road
  20. degree — an amount
  21. board — a committee
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tube — the underground

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