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: board · patient · pit · deal · rock · pitcher · ball · spell

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — letters
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pit — in a race
  9. ball — a great time
  10. board — a committee
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. spell — magic
  13. pit — a hole
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rock — a stone
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. rock — music
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spell — a short time

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