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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. suit — in cards
  3. court — for sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. charge — in control
  6. bat — the animal
  7. suit — clothes
  8. charge — a price
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. suit — to fit
  16. drill — army training
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. tube — a container
  19. drill — a practice
  20. court — of a king
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hand — help
  23. court — of law
  24. tube — the underground

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