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: staff · ground · hand · patient · rock · drill · chest · current

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rock — music
  4. ground — crushed
  5. current — of water
  6. ground — the earth
  7. staff — a stick
  8. current — electric
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. drill — the tool
  14. current — happening now
  15. ground — a position
  16. hand — help
  17. staff — employees
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rock — a stone
  20. chest — a box
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. staff — employees
  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