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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. dip — to sink
  7. kid — child
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rash — hasty
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bass — the fish
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spell — letters
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mate — to breed
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bass — low music
  19. mate — a partner
  20. spell — magic
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rash — a series
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. mate — a friend

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