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: kid · patient · fork · leaves · bass · clip · wind · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. clip — a video
  3. pit — a hole
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bass — low music
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bass — the fish
  24. patient — a sick person

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