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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. row — a line
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. file — a document
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stem — to come from
  13. file — a tool
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bat — the animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — a series
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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