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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. ground — a position
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rash — hasty
  7. court — for sport
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pitch — completely
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. court — of a king
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rash — a series
  22. ground — the earth
  23. court — of law
  24. toast — bread

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