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 · stand · mug · cold · pit · clip · bay · lean

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cold — an illness
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. clip — for paper
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. clip — a video
  10. mug — a face
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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