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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wound — an injury
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. track — a path
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hand — help
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stem — to come from
  19. track — a song
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mouse — the animal
  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