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: cell · safe · wound · wave · patient · court · ground · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. court — of law
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ground — the earth
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. court — of a king
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. court — for sport
  19. ground — a position
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. row — to paddle

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