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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cold — an illness
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kick — in football
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cold — not warm
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. file — a document
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. chip — in a computer

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