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 120 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: pitcher · bound · shower · patient · key · wake · clip · pit

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bound — obliged
  4. shower — rain
  5. key — the most important part
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. key — in music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. shower — to wash
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bound — certain
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wake — a trail
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pit — a hole

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