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: safe · cue · clip · court · row · patient · chest · face

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cue — a hint
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chest — of your body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chest — a box
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. court — for sport
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cue — a signal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cue — for pool
  16. court — of law
  17. clip — a video
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — to cut
  20. row — a line
  21. court — of a king
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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