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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. current — electric
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. current — of water
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. shower — rain
  15. current — happening now
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. craft — boats
  20. deal — to handle
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. craft — a skill

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