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: jam · fork · pitcher · cold · game · cabinet · current · scale

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — in music
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cold — not warm
  10. current — electric
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. current — of water
  15. fork — in a road
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. game — wild animals
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. current — happening now
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cabinet — ministers

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