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: band · game · spell · sharp · calf · mine · coach · patient

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. band — a ring
  4. game — wild animals
  5. band — a music group
  6. spell — a short time
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. game — a match
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. sharp — clever
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. coach — a trainer

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