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: mug · clip · bat · fall · shower · can · lean · dip

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mug — to rob
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. clip — a video
  6. can — to be able to
  7. lean — thin
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fall — the season
  10. mug — a cup
  11. can — a tin
  12. mug — a face
  13. clip — for paper
  14. can — a tin
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. dip — to sink
  21. shower — rain
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. dip — a sauce

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