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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cap — a lid
  4. present — the time now
  5. board — a committee
  6. pop — music
  7. cap — of ice
  8. drill — army training
  9. board — to get on
  10. present — a gift
  11. cap — a hat
  12. squash — to crush
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. drill — a practice
  24. present — there

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