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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. net — in sport
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fine — high quality
  6. net — after costs
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fine — all right
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. net — for catching
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. kid — child
  20. rest — a break
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rest — what's left

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