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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. present — a gift
  3. pitch — completely
  4. tear — to rip
  5. shower — to wash
  6. present — the time now
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. squash — the sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. present — there
  16. cue — a hint
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. tear — from crying
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. field — for sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. nail — for a hammer

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