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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rash — a series
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rash — hasty
  8. hand — help
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mark — a trace
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — a hat
  20. hand — in cards
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hand — part of the body

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