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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. swing — in golf
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. swing — music
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bat — the animal
  21. snap — to click
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chest — a box
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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