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: bass · game · saw · ruler · degree · shower · pitcher · squash

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. game — a match
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. squash — to crush
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — low music
  8. squash — the sport
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. saw — the tool
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. degree — an amount
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bass — the fish

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