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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. ground — the earth
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. squash — the sport
  5. ball — a dance
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mug — a face
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rash — hasty
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rash — a series
  13. hand — help
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ground — a position
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mug — to rob
  20. squash — to crush
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. ball — a round shape

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