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: rest · jam · kid · rash · wake · bat · present · game

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. game — wild animals
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bat — the animal
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rest — a break
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rest — what's left
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — the time now
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. kid — child
  17. game — a match
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rash — a series
  21. kid — to tease
  22. present — there
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rash — on the skin

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