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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rash — a series
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. row — a line
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. ground — a position
  16. rest — a break
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fall — the season
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rest — what's left

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