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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. field — farmland
  6. mug — a face
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cold — an illness

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