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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. roll — a cake
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mug — a cup
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ball — a dance
  9. hand — in cards
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mug — to rob
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. roll — a list
  17. ball — a great time
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mug — a face
  22. clip — a video
  23. stand — to bear
  24. hand — help

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