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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. swing — music
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mate — a partner
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bat — the animal
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ruler — a monarch

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