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 120 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. squash — to crush
  5. drill — army training
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. spell — magic
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. spell — letters
  12. drill — a practice
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pass — a permit
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. spell — a short time

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