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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fall — the season
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stand — to bear
  10. land — a country
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cue — a hint
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. land — to come down
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. land — ground

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