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 116 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 · deal · swing · cabinet · cold · pop · mark · prune

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. swing — music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pop — soda
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pop — music
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cold — not warm
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cold — an illness
  24. swing — in golf

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