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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. scale — in music
  3. present — the time now
  4. bat — the animal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. present — there
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pitch — completely
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. scale — size or range
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. present — a gift
  24. nail — for a hammer

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