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 120 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: cue · pitcher · saw · mine · plane · capital · net · rash

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rash — a series
  5. cue — a hint
  6. plane — a tool
  7. capital — a city
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. net — for catching
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — hasty
  13. net — after costs
  14. capital — money
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. cue — for pool
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. net — in sport
  24. capital — a big letter

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