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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ball — a great time
  11. court — of a king
  12. face — to confront
  13. court — for sport
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cold — an illness
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bat — the animal
  23. court — of law
  24. lean — thin

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