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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wake — a trail
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wave — of the sea

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