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: row · staff · kick · patient · sharp · racket · land · present

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. present — a gift
  3. staff — employees
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. land — a country
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. present — there
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kick — in football
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. land — to come down
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. row — a line
  17. present — the time now
  18. staff — a stick
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. sharp — clever
  21. row — to paddle
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. staff — employees
  24. land — ground

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