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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. roll — a list
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. row — a line
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. ball — a great time

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