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: hand · patient · deal · mug · last · stand · ground · bark

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stand — to bear
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mug — a face
  7. last — finally
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ground — a position
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. deal — to handle
  16. hand — help
  17. mug — to rob
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mug — a cup
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hand — in cards

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