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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cue — a signal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rock — a stone
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rock — music
  19. scale — in music
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. game — a match
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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