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: pitcher · net · patient · spring · deal · mug · wake · chair

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — in sport
  4. chair — a leader
  5. spring — the season
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mug — a face
  13. spring — of water
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — for catching
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. net — after costs

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