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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mug — a face
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mark — a grade
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pound — a weight
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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