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: saw · root · track · race · bass · squash · hand · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. race — a contest
  5. squash — to crush
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bass — low music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bass — the fish
  10. root — of a plant
  11. hand — help
  12. track — to keep track
  13. hand — in cards
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. track — a path
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. track — a song
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. squash — the sport
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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