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: ball · cue · shower · stick · rash · last · pitch · wake

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. last — final
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rash — a series
  9. ball — a great time
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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