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: patient · wind · ground · fall · clip · pass · racket · mark

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. clip — for paper
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wind — moving air

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