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: pit · present · scale · pitcher · mine · content · safe · drill

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — happy
  3. drill — army training
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. drill — a practice
  6. present — the time now
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. present — a gift
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pit — a hole
  16. scale — in music
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. content — the amount
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — for digging
  24. present — there

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