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: content · bear · nail · march · ball · patient · coach · row

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. march — music
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. march — the month
  13. row — to paddle
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. row — a line
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. content — happy
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. content — the amount
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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