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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — the season
  3. net — after costs
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spring — of water
  8. row — a line
  9. net — for catching
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. hand — in cards
  22. net — in sport
  23. scale — size or range
  24. hand — help

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