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: bay · fan · race · march · toast · calf · patient · spring

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. race — humankind
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. spring — of water
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. toast — bread
  12. spring — a coil
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. march — the month
  18. race — the arms race
  19. march — music
  20. race — a contest
  21. march — the month
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. spring — the season

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