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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pit — a hole
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. game — wild animals
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. game — a match

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