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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cell — in biology
  5. spell — magic
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rest — a break
  8. cell — a phone
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. row — a line
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spell — letters
  17. rest — what's left
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. rest — what's left
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. dip — to sink
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. row — to paddle

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