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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hand — in cards
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. hand — help
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. squash — the sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. club — for dancing
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. club — a group
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. plane — a tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. root — the cause
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. club — for golf

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