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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. land — to come down
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — a tin
  9. ball — a great time
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. land — a country
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. ball — a dance
  15. land — ground
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. chair — a professorship

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