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: date · deal · patient · present · squash · race · pitcher · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. race — humankind
  7. present — there
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. present — the time now
  13. squash — the sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. deal — to handle
  17. squash — to crush
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. race — the arms race
  20. present — a gift
  21. race — a contest
  22. date — the fruit
  23. drill — army training
  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