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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. track — to keep track
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mine — for digging
  8. staff — employees
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. degree — from a university
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. track — a path
  15. rush — hurry
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. track — a song
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitch — completely

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