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 · race · field · vault · row · rash · pitch · rock

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. field — farmland
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rash — hasty
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. row — a line
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. field — for sport
  13. rash — a series
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rock — music
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. field — a subject
  18. vault — a safe
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. race — humankind
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. race — the arms race
  24. row — to paddle

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