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: key · leaves · chair · patient · mine · coach · bark · wind

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bark — to shout
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. key — in music
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bark — of a tree

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