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: snap · swing · chest · cue · calf · bat · capital · nail

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bat — the animal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. cue — a signal
  6. capital — a city
  7. snap — to click
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cue — for pool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. swing — to play on
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. capital — money
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. swing — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chest — a box

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