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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. saw — the tool
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. snap — to click
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — finally
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — to go on
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. last — final
  24. game — a match

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