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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wake — a trail
  6. object — to protest
  7. ball — a great time
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. object — a thing
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rash — hasty
  16. scale — in music
  17. rash — a series
  18. object — an aim
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bat — the animal
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bat — in an idiom

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