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 120 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 · game · racket · fall · dip · hand · snap · bore

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. game — a match
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. fall — the season
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bore — to drill
  7. snap — to click
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hand — in cards
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fall — to drop
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fall — to drop
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bat — the animal
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bore — to tire
  24. hand — help

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