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: pitcher · current · field · ground · patient · content · plane · pit

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — the amount
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ground — the earth
  12. field — for sport
  13. current — electric
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. plane — a tool
  16. field — a subject
  17. pit — a hole
  18. ground — a position
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. field — farmland
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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