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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. shower — rain
  4. wake — a trail
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chest — a box
  12. squash — to crush
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. chest — of your body
  17. file — a tool
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. file — a document
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — to wash
  24. squash — the vegetable

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