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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bat — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. scale — in music
  13. clip — a video
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. clip — for paper
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. clip — to cut
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. content — the amount

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