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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. rash — a series
  5. spell — a short time
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. spell — letters
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. kid — child
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. game — a match
  14. kid — to tease
  15. last — final
  16. game — wild animals
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rash — hasty
  21. last — finally
  22. spell — magic
  23. object — a thing
  24. game — a kind of play

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