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 120 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 water is too ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cue — a hint
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cue — for pool
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bank — for money
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pop — music
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bank — of a river
  20. pop — soda
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pitch — completely
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bank — for money

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