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: stand · snap · deal · land · pitcher · ground · patient · roll

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. stand — to bear
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. land — ground
  7. roll — a cake
  8. land — a country
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. ground — a position
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. roll — a list
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. snap — to click
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. land — to come down
  24. pitcher — a jug

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