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: bat · pitcher · face · key · march · row · racket · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bat — the animal
  5. face — to confront
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. key — in music
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. face — to point toward
  15. march — music
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — the month
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. face — part of the head

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