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: wind · dip · kid · pitcher · foot · roll · pitch · cold

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kid — child
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. dip — to sink
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. cold — an illness
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wind — moving air
  23. foot — a measure
  24. kid — to tease

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