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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. can — a tin
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bat — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. fine — all right
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. chest — a box
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. craft — boats
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cap — a hat

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