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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — in sport
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. net — after costs
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. net — in sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. season — of the year
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. net — for catching
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. squash — the sport
  24. board — a committee

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