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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. craft — a skill
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. dip — to sink
  10. season — of the year
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bat — the animal
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. season — in sport
  22. ball — a great time
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bat — in an idiom

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