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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. current — electric
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — happening now
  7. saw — the tool
  8. present — there
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. current — of water
  15. mark — a trace
  16. present — the time now
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. season — in sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. present — a gift

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