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 120 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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. spring — a coil
  3. game — wild animals
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bat — the animal
  8. game — a match
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. deal — to handle
  14. kid — child
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. scale — size or range
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. scale — in music
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. deal — an agreement

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