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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. clip — a video
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bat — the animal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. scale — in music
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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