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: pit · cue · last · snap · clip · kid · cap · patient

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cap — a hat
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cap — of ice
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. last — final
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pit — a hole
  12. clip — to cut
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. clip — a video
  17. kid — child
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cap — a lid
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pit — in a race
  22. snap — to click
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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