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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. present — there
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. foot — a measure
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bat — the animal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — help
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. roll — a list
  14. present — the time now
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. root — of a word
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. hand — in cards
  23. present — a gift
  24. foot — part of the body

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