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: pitch · pitcher · fan · ball · bat · sharp · shower · board

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. sharp — clever
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. shower — rain
  19. bat — the animal
  20. board — a committee
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. board — to get on

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