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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. clip — for paper
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. row — a line
  8. game — a match
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. row — to paddle
  14. kick — in football
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. game — wild animals
  23. spell — letters
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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