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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. hand — help
  9. wake — a trail
  10. content — happy
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. hand — in cards
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. kick — in football
  15. content — the amount
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. lash — an eyelash

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