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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. can — a tin
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bat — the animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. can — a tin
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. kid — child
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. can — to be able to
  18. kid — to tease
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. game — wild animals
  24. leaves — to go away

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