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: chest · tube · date · current · fall · rash · patient · coach

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rash — hasty
  3. current — electric
  4. date — the fruit
  5. current — happening now
  6. chest — of your body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chest — a box
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rash — a series
  15. current — of water
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tube — the underground
  24. date — on the calendar

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