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: bore · patient · court · band · track · board · chest · suit

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. bore — to drill
  3. suit — in cards
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. chest — a box
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. court — for sport
  10. board — to get on
  11. chest — of your body
  12. court — of law
  13. board — a committee
  14. bore — to tire
  15. track — a song
  16. band — a ring
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. court — of a king
  20. track — a path
  21. suit — clothes
  22. band — a music group
  23. patient — a sick person
  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