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: pitcher · spell · kick · game · spring · mine · key · content

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — the season
  5. mine — for digging
  6. game — a match
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. spell — a short time
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spring — of water
  13. key — for a lock
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. key — in music
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. kick — in football
  18. spring — a coil
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. spell — letters
  21. key — the most important part
  22. content — the amount
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. content — happy

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