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 120 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: pitcher · wound · bat · field · mine · mug · rest · pound

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — farmland
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mug — a face

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