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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. current — happening now
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cap — of ice
  6. current — of water
  7. ball — a dance
  8. deal — to handle
  9. game — a match
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spring — the season
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. spring — of water
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. current — electric
  23. game — wild animals
  24. ball — a great time

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