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: can · shower · face · bat · mouse · mine · date · stick

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — the animal
  9. face — to confront
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. can — a tin
  15. shower — rain
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. can — to be able to
  22. date — the fruit
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mine — belonging to me

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