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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spell — magic
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lie — to recline
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spell — letters
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spell — a short time
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bat — for baseball

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