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: cue · mine · cold · calf · squash · plane · mark · pitcher

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cold — not warm
  4. plane — a tool
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cue — for pool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mine — for digging
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. squash — the vegetable

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