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: deal · file · pit · spell · band · patient · hide · chest

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. deal — to handle
  4. file — a tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. file — a document
  7. pit — a hole
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. file — a line of people
  11. spell — a short time
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. band — a music group
  15. chest — a box
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chest — of your body
  18. band — a ring
  19. spell — letters
  20. pit — in a race
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. band — a rubber band

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