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: fork · bear · bat · wake · arm · mine · mouse · squash

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wake — a trail
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fork — in a road
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bear — to put up with

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