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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. content — the amount
  11. wind — moving air
  12. content — happy
  13. pop — soda
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pop — music
  22. foot — a measure
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mouse — for a computer

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