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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bank — for money
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bank — for money
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cold — an illness
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. land — ground
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fall — the season
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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