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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mate — to breed
  4. shower — rain
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pop — music
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — a series
  12. pit — a hole
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. kid — to tease
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pop — soda
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. snap — to click
  24. shower — to wash

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