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: bowl · vault · bulb · cue · pitcher · swing · ground · wind

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. vault — a safe
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bulb — for light

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