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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. mate — a partner
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mate — to breed
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. march — the month
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. shower — rain
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. march — music

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