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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wound — an injury
  9. capital — a city
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. capital — money
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. cue — a hint
  15. tube — a container
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cue — for pool
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. leaves — lets stay

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