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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. net — after costs
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rest — what's left
  6. key — for a lock
  7. object — a thing
  8. rest — a break
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mug — a face
  11. net — for catching
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. object — to protest
  15. tube — the underground
  16. squash — to crush
  17. tube — a container
  18. rest — what's left
  19. object — an aim
  20. net — in sport
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. key — in music
  24. bat — for baseball

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