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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. kid — to tease
  4. ball — a dance
  5. present — the time now
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bulb — for light
  12. present — a gift
  13. kid — child
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. present — there

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