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: patient · fork · bass · present · pitcher · degree · wave · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. present — the time now
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. present — a gift
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fine — all right
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. present — there
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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