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: pitcher · cell · club · tear · snap · firm · game · bear

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. club — for dancing
  3. snap — to click
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. game — a match
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cell — in biology
  10. tear — from crying
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bear — the animal
  14. firm — decided
  15. club — a group
  16. tear — to rip
  17. club — for golf
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. firm — a company
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. firm — steady
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. game — wild animals

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