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: hide · toast · bat · pitcher · wound · chip · bulb · mug

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mug — a face
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. toast — bread
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bat — the animal
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bulb — for light

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