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: ball · jam · content · fall · row · nail · bay · bat

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a dance
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bat — the animal
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. content — the amount
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. row — a line
  14. fall — to drop
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. fall — the season
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. ball — a great time
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. row — to paddle

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