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: content · squash · cell · pitcher · fan · game · sharp · suit

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. squash — the sport
  5. game — a match
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. suit — in cards
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. content — the amount
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. content — happy
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cell — in biology
  24. content — videos and posts

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