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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. court — of law
  7. bat — the animal
  8. spell — magic
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. squash — the sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. court — of a king
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. chest — a box
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. court — for sport

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