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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. club — for golf
  7. land — to come down
  8. roll — a list
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. club — a group
  11. rash — a series
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bear — the animal
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. land — a country
  17. bat — the animal
  18. land — ground
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. rash — hasty
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bear — the animal

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