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: fall · patient · ball · track · stick · deal · clip · chest

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. clip — a video
  6. ball — a dance
  7. track — a path
  8. fall — to drop
  9. track — a song
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. ball — a great time
  12. deal — to handle
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. clip — to cut
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fall — the season
  23. chest — of your body
  24. track — to keep track

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