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: cabinet · fine · bat · spell · chest · snap · plane · present

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — letters
  5. fine — all right
  6. chest — a box
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. present — there
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. present — a gift
  12. spell — magic
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. present — the time now
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. snap — to click
  18. fine — high quality
  19. chest — of your body
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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