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: game · patient · mine · foot · cabinet · face · wind · spring

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. foot — a measure
  3. spring — of water
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mine — for digging
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spring — a coil
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. face — part of the head
  15. spring — the season
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. game — wild animals
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. game — a match
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wind — moving air
  23. face — to confront
  24. mine — belonging to me

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