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: cold · snap · leaves · patient · board · firm · march · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. march — the month
  3. board — to get on
  4. march — the month
  5. firm — steady
  6. board — a committee
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cold — not warm
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. firm — decided
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. cold — an illness
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. firm — a company
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. march — music
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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