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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. capital — money
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. file — a tool
  11. bore — to tire
  12. file — a document
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. capital — a city
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bark — to shout
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. band — a music group
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. band — a ring

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