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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rule — government
  3. spell — a short time
  4. game — a match
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. clip — a video
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rule — a law
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. spell — letters
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. snap — to click
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bark — to shout
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. spell — magic
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. game — wild animals

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