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 116 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: net · saw · patient · lash · ball · stem · last · game

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. ball — a dance
  10. net — after costs
  11. stem — to come from
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. last — final
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. saw — the tool
  17. net — for catching
  18. saw — the tool
  19. net — in sport
  20. game — wild animals
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. game — a match
  24. patient — a sick person

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