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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · mug · net · cabinet · land · pitcher · present · rash

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — a series
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rash — hasty
  10. net — after costs
  11. land — ground
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. present — the time now
  14. net — in sport
  15. mug — a face
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. swing — to play on
  19. net — for catching
  20. present — there
  21. mug — a cup
  22. present — a gift
  23. swing — music
  24. land — a country

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