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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — a subject
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. roll — a list
  12. rash — hasty
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rest — a break
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cap — a lid

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