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

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — to rip
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. scale — size or range
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cold — an illness
  17. squash — to crush
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pit — in a race

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