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: pitch · roll · bat · temple · wake · spell · cabinet · cold

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cold — not warm
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. roll — a cake
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. spell — letters
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. roll — a list

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