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: lean · fall · court · track · rock · wake · patient · clip

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rock — music
  6. lean — to bend
  7. track — a path
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. court — of law
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wake — a trail
  14. clip — for paper
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. court — of a king
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. fall — the season
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. clip — a video
  24. lean — thin

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