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

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. shower — rain
  3. snap — to click
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitch — completely
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fine — all right
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. content — the amount
  11. staff — employees
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. tear — to rip
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. staff — employees
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. tear — from crying
  20. shower — to wash
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. content — happy

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