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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bass — the fish
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rash — a series
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bat — the animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. prune — to trim
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. dip — to sink
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. season — in 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