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 120 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: rock · pop · lie · hide · chair · scale · mate · bat

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pop — music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. rock — music
  24. chair — a leader

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