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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. current — of water
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. hand — help
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. scale — in music
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. scale — size or range
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bat — the animal
  24. hand — in cards

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