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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. kid — child
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. tube — a container
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. snap — to click
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ground — the earth
  20. kid — to tease
  21. ground — a position
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. branch — of a tree

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