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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pop — soda
  3. squash — to crush
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. squash — the sport
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to click
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wind — moving air
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. toast — bread
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. net — for catching
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. game — a match

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