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: spring · lie · file · pitcher · snap · patient · game · fine

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. file — a line of people
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. file — a tool
  10. spring — the season
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. game — a match
  14. spring — a coil
  15. file — a document
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. spring — of water
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. lie — to recline

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