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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. kid — to tease
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. can — a tin
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mark — a trace
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. can — a tin
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bat — the animal
  15. kid — child
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. hand — help
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hand — in cards

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