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: staff · bat · race · patient · spring · mug · land · march

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. march — music
  3. staff — employees
  4. march — the month
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mug — to rob
  7. spring — of water
  8. land — a country
  9. mug — a face
  10. land — to come down
  11. march — the month
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. race — humankind
  15. staff — a stick
  16. race — the arms race
  17. spring — the season
  18. mug — a cup
  19. staff — employees
  20. land — ground
  21. race — a contest
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. spring — a coil

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