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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spell — magic
  3. net — after costs
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spring — the season
  6. net — in sport
  7. spell — letters
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a music group
  17. spring — of water
  18. net — for catching
  19. band — a ring
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. spell — a short time
  24. racket — for tennis

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