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: dip · game · bass · season · present · mine · pit · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. season — of the year
  4. game — wild animals
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bass — low music
  7. present — there
  8. season — in sport
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pit — a hole
  15. present — the time now
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. present — a gift
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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