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 · rock · game · pitcher · squash · ball · clip · rush

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. squash — to crush
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wake — a trail
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — a match
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. clip — to cut
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. game — wild animals
  24. clip — a video

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