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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. swing — to play on
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. swing — music
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wax — to grow
  17. content — happy
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. content — the amount

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