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: patient · press · fork · cabinet · foot · wake · rash · cap

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — a series
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wake — a trail
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cap — a hat
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fork — in a road
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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