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 116 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: racket · patient · pitch · stick · bat · spell · wake · straw

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. spell — magic
  5. bat — the animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spell — a short time
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wake — a trail

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