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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bore — to tire
  11. chip — to eat
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. degree — temperature
  23. hand — help
  24. pitcher — a jug

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