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: leaves · hand · saw · net · pitcher · cue · ground · game

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. net — for catching
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. net — after costs
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. hand — help
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. net — in sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ground — a position
  22. cue — a hint
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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