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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. hand — help
  3. game — a match
  4. lie — to recline
  5. scale — in music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. season — in sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kick — in football
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hand — in cards
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. scale — size or range
  24. season — to add flavour

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