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 · fan · spell · face · scale · jam · saw · land

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. land — a country
  5. spell — a short time
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. face — to confront
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. saw — the tool
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. face — to point toward
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. saw — the tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spell — letters
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. spell — magic
  24. scale — in music

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