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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. firm — a company
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mug — to rob
  8. firm — steady
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mug — a cup
  12. firm — decided
  13. mug — a face
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spring — the season
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spring — of water
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. chest — a box
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mouse — the animal

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