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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bat — the animal
  3. content — happy
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spell — magic
  7. squash — to crush
  8. swing — in golf
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. spell — letters
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. swing — music
  24. mouse — for a computer

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