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: game · dip · snap · pitch · bore · wind · stock · court

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. court — of a king
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. stock — shares
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. snap — to click
  8. game — a match
  9. court — for sport
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wind — moving air
  12. court — of law
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pitch — completely
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stock — goods
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bore — to tire
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. dip — to sink

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