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: last · patient · pit · track · staff · cue · game · wind

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. staff — employees
  4. cue — for pool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cue — a signal
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. game — a match
  11. staff — a stick
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wind — moving air
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. cue — a hint
  19. staff — employees
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. last — to go on
  23. pit — in a race
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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