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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. scale — in music
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. object — an aim
  10. cue — a signal
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spell — letters
  13. ground — the earth
  14. row — to paddle
  15. saw — the tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cue — a hint
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cue — for pool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. row — a line
  24. spell — magic

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