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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bear — the animal
  3. court — of a king
  4. bat — the animal
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. hand — help
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. firm — a company
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. court — for sport
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. firm — decided
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hand — in cards
  21. band — a ring
  22. court — of law
  23. firm — steady
  24. chair — a professorship

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