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: dip · chair · wave · mug · net · patient · game · hand

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mug — to rob
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. dip — to sink
  12. net — in sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chair — a leader
  15. game — a match
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. net — for catching
  24. hand — help

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