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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. snap — to click
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. rule — a law
  12. squash — to crush
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pound — a weight
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rule — government
  21. last — finally
  22. chest — of your body
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rule — to rule out

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