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: dip · row · date · wave · nail · bat · chip · swing

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bat — the animal
  3. swing — to play on
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. row — a line
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chip — for betting
  18. dip — to sink
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. row — to paddle
  22. date — the fruit
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. swing — music

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