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 116 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: shower · bat · safe · face · wake · squash · rest · pitcher

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. face — to confront
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. squash — to crush
  7. face — to point toward
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rest — a break
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. face — part of the head
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. shower — rain

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