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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. kick — in football
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. content — happy
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ground — a position
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ground — the earth
  18. content — the amount
  19. kid — child
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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