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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. court — for sport
  5. kick — in football
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bass — low music
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. ball — a great time
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cap — of ice
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bass — the fish
  17. court — of law
  18. cap — a hat
  19. court — of a king
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cap — a lid

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