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: patient · cue · clip · bear · game · pitch · mate · hand

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bear — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cue — a signal
  5. mate — a friend
  6. clip — a video
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cue — for pool
  9. hand — in cards
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. mate — to breed
  15. clip — to cut
  16. game — a match
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cue — a hint
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitch — completely
  24. hand — help

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