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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. toast — bread
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. content — happy
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. spring — the season
  11. scale — in music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bat — the animal
  14. spring — of water
  15. content — the amount
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. scale — size or range

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