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: content · patient · cell · kid · craft · saw · wound · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wound — an injury
  4. craft — boats
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cell — a phone
  7. kid — child
  8. saw — the tool
  9. last — final
  10. saw — the tool
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. craft — a skill
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. last — finally
  18. wound — an injury
  19. content — the amount
  20. cell — in biology
  21. kid — to tease
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. content — happy

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