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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. ball — a great time
  4. season — in sport
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. game — a match
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pit — in a race
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. ball — a dance
  15. season — of the year
  16. dip — to sink
  17. content — the amount
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. game — wild animals
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pit — a hole
  22. content — happy
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. dip — a sauce

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