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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. file — a document
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ball — a dance
  7. club — for golf
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. snap — to click
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. hand — help
  15. club — a group
  16. net — after costs
  17. file — a line of people
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. club — for dancing
  20. file — a tool
  21. pound — a weight
  22. net — for catching
  23. ball — a great time
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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