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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. field — for sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. file — a document
  13. row — to paddle
  14. file — a line of people
  15. field — a subject
  16. file — a tool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. row — a line
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. field — farmland
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bowl — a football final

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