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 120 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: content · capital · land · press · patient · bay · bat · field

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. field — a subject
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. field — for sport
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. content — happy
  9. land — to come down
  10. capital — money
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. capital — a city
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. field — farmland
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. press — a publisher
  20. content — the amount
  21. press — to push
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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