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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rash — a series
  3. chest — a box
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rock — music
  14. bat — the animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. band — a music group
  18. game — a match
  19. band — a ring
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chest — of your body

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