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: bat · kid · current · cabinet · rash · bound · patient · spring

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rash — hasty
  4. current — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bound — certain
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spring — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kid — child
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rash — a series
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. current — electric
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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