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 · shower · ball · pass · rest · fan · file · pitch

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. shower — rain
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rest — what's left
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rest — a break
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pitch — completely

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