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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spell — letters
  5. present — a gift
  6. lean — thin
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. present — there
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cold — an illness
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. spell — magic
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. present — the time now
  24. cold — the Cold War

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