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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. board — to get on
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. board — a committee
  9. clip — for paper
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. field — a subject
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pound — a weight
  17. stand — to bear
  18. game — a match
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. field — farmland
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stand — on your feet

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