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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spring — a coil
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. plane — a tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. snap — to click
  13. court — of a king
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. bear — the animal
  19. court — of law
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hand — in cards
  22. court — for sport
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. sharp — exactly

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