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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. kid — child
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ground — a position
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. hand — help
  21. wound — an injury
  22. toast — bread
  23. scale — in music
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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