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 116 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: lie · drill · mine · chip · swing · patient · leaves · saw

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. drill — the tool
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. swing — music
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. drill — a practice
  11. swing — to play on
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. swing — in golf
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chip — to eat
  23. leaves — to go away
  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