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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. firm — decided
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. spring — of water
  6. firm — a company
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. game — a match
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. game — wild animals
  14. firm — steady
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. foot — a measure
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tube — the underground
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. spring — the season

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