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: band · hand · mouse · face · patient · perch · staff · last

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. face — to confront
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. face — part of the head
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. face — to point toward
  9. band — a ring
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. staff — employees
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. last — final
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. hand — help
  18. staff — employees
  19. band — a music group
  20. perch — the fish
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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