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: pitcher · drill · cap · mine · fork · game · patient · degree

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. degree — from a university
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mine — for digging
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. drill — army training
  16. game — a match
  17. degree — an amount
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. drill — a practice
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. degree — temperature
  24. game — wild animals

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