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 · pitcher · spring · pit · season · saw · tear · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spring — the season
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pit — in a race
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. tear — to rip
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. spring — of water
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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