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: foot · ruler · patient · coach · wax · land · bat · pit

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. foot — a measure
  3. land — ground
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — to grow
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bat — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. land — a country
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. land — to come down
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. ruler — for measuring

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