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: fan · drill · wake · wind · chest · field · cue · patient

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. field — farmland
  7. chest — of your body
  8. field — a subject
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. field — for sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wind — moving air
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chest — a box
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fan — a supporter

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