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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mark — a grade
  3. last — final
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. squash — to crush
  9. last — finally
  10. spell — magic
  11. rash — a series
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spell — letters
  15. face — to confront
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. squash — the sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spell — a short time
  21. last — to go on
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. racket — for tennis

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