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: rash · lie · ball · pop · bat · capital · saw · rest

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pop — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rest — a break
  13. rash — a series
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pop — soda
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. capital — money

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