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: file · bat · snap · calf · pass · last · ball · squash

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. last — finally
  3. ball — a great time
  4. snap — to click
  5. squash — to crush
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. last — final
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bat — the animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. squash — the sport
  15. file — a line of people
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. file — a document

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