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: can · date · cabinet · patient · rule · bat · racket · row

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. date — the fruit
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rule — government
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rule — a law
  14. can — to be able to
  15. row — a line
  16. can — a tin
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bat — the animal
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. can — a tin
  23. racket — for tennis
  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