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: bat · patient · track · cell · chair · wax · toast · date

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. track — a path
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wax — to grow
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. chair — a leader
  9. date — the fruit
  10. track — a song
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. track — to keep track
  13. toast — bread
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bat — the animal
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. patient — a sick person

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