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: cap · game · clip · cabinet · rest · field · patient · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — a subject
  6. clip — a video
  7. lie — to recline
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rest — what's left
  12. clip — for paper
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cap — a hat
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — farmland
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cap — of ice
  23. field — for sport
  24. rest — a break

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