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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. game — a match
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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