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: row · plane · ruler · cap · patient · present · sharp · spring

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. present — a gift
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spring — of water
  7. cap — a lid
  8. spring — a coil
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. present — there
  12. spring — the season
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. cap — of ice
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cap — a hat
  19. plane — a tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. row — a line
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. present — the time now
  24. sharp — clever

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