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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rash — hasty
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. can — to be able to
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bear — the animal
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. can — a tin
  18. content — the amount
  19. rash — a series
  20. can — a tin
  21. content — happy
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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