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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mug — to rob
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. row — a line
  7. ground — a position
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ball — a dance
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. ground — the earth
  12. dip — to sink
  13. date — the fruit
  14. mug — a cup
  15. ground — crushed
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mug — a face
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. row — to paddle
  23. game — a match
  24. dip — to dunk

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