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 120 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: track · ruler · sharp · pitcher · last · dip · squash · scale

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. squash — the sport
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. dip — to sink
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. last — to go on
  15. track — to keep track
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. sharp — clever
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. last — finally
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. last — final
  22. scale — in music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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