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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · bay · spring · racket · bat · wake · last · roll

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. roll — a list
  16. spring — the season
  17. bat — the animal
  18. last — finally
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bat — for baseball

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