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: ball · march · hide · rush · content · rock · pitcher · squash

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. march — the month
  7. ball — a dance
  8. content — happy
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. march — music
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. squash — to crush
  17. content — the amount
  18. march — the month
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rush — hurry

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