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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. toast — bread
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mine — for digging
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bat — the animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rash — a series
  21. band — a ring
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. band — a music group
  24. plane — an aircraft

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