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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pitch — completely
  12. craft — boats
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. game — a match
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. craft — a skill
  24. ruler — for measuring

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