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: season · field · rash · patient · saw · row · firm · last

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. field — a subject
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rash — hasty
  6. field — farmland
  7. saw — the tool
  8. row — a line
  9. last — finally
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. firm — a company
  12. rash — a series
  13. firm — decided
  14. season — in sport
  15. last — final
  16. season — of the year
  17. firm — steady
  18. row — to paddle
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — to go on
  23. field — for sport
  24. row — a quarrel

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