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 · plane · track · straw · patient · season · capital · wind

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. season — of the year
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. season — in sport
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. capital — a city
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wind — moving air
  17. capital — money
  18. plane — a tool
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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