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: last · kid · chest · coach · file · patient · tear · craft

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. last — to go on
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tear — to rip
  10. craft — a skill
  11. kid — to tease
  12. file — a document
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. file — a tool
  17. last — finally
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kid — child
  23. file — a line of people
  24. last — final

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