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: ground · fall · bat · pitcher · drill · ball · net · racket

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ground — a position
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. net — in sport
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. net — after costs
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fall — the season
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. drill — army training
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ball — a great time
  21. net — for catching
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ground — the earth
  24. drill — a practice

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