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 116 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 water is too ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pop — music
  3. pound — a weight
  4. net — in sport
  5. pop — soda
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. ball — a dance
  9. file — a document
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. net — after costs
  15. file — a tool
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cold — an illness
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. net — for catching
  24. pop — to visit

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