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: mine · hand · mark · fine · spell · board · perch · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fine — all right
  4. board — a committee
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. hand — help
  7. board — to get on
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mark — a trace
  10. perch — the fish
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. fine — high quality
  24. mark — to pay attention

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