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: patient · stand · clip · season · game · root · race · pitcher

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. race — a contest
  5. season — of the year
  6. root — of a word
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stand — to bear
  10. game — wild animals
  11. race — humankind
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. season — in sport
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — a match
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. root — the cause
  24. clip — a video

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