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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. can — to be able to
  8. squash — to crush
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. roll — a list
  11. file — a document
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. file — a tool
  17. deal — to handle
  18. file — a line of people
  19. lie — to recline
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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