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: current · pit · spring · pitch · season · cold · sharp · squash

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. spring — the season
  7. season — in sport
  8. spring — a coil
  9. current — happening now
  10. spring — of water
  11. squash — the sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. pit — in a race
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. pitch — completely
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pit — a hole
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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