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: wake · pitcher · pitch · current · mine · date · vault · hand

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pitch — completely
  5. current — electric
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. date — the fruit
  10. current — of water
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mine — for digging
  14. hand — help
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. hand — in cards
  18. current — happening now
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wake — a trail
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wake — before a funeral

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