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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hand — help
  4. scale — in music
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rest — what's left
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rest — a break
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cell — a phone
  18. scale — size or range
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. fall — the season
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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