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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. season — of the year
  4. squash — the sport
  5. last — final
  6. season — in sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pop — music
  12. last — finally
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mark — a grade
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. mark — a trace
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. object — a thing
  22. last — to go on
  23. shower — rain
  24. object — an aim

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