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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ball — a dance
  6. net — in sport
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. season — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ground — a position
  14. staff — employees
  15. ball — a great time
  16. season — of the year
  17. field — farmland
  18. net — after costs
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. staff — a stick
  24. deal — to handle

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