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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. tear — to rip
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. content — the amount
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lie — to recline
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tear — from crying
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. content — happy
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pitch — completely

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