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: cabinet · rush · stand · content · bat · dip · hand · ball

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. stand — to bear
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. content — happy
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. content — the amount
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. dip — to sink
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. ball — a great time
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cabinet — ministers

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