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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. charge — in control
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lean — to bend
  11. charge — a price
  12. face — to point toward
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. charge — electricity
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. hand — in cards
  18. face — to confront
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. hand — help
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pitch — completely

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