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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. rash — hasty
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. craft — boats
  10. snap — to click
  11. rash — a series
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. file — a document
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spell — magic
  20. bat — the animal
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. mark — a grade

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