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: bat · ruler · rush · mate · chest · row · wake · game

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mate — to breed
  13. chest — a box
  14. game — a match
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bat — the animal

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