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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. object — a thing
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. object — to protest
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. land — ground
  7. spell — a short time
  8. last — finally
  9. toast — bread
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spell — magic
  12. object — an aim
  13. spell — letters
  14. chest — a box
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. last — to go on
  17. land — a country
  18. last — final
  19. chest — of your body
  20. land — to come down
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. squash — to crush
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. chest — of your body

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