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 116 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: pitcher · hand · pit · prune · bay · dip · drill · mine

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. drill — army training
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. hand — help
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. prune — to trim
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pit — in a race
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pit — a hole
  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