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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bark — to shout
  10. current — happening now
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. current — electric
  14. rest — a break
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. current — of water
  24. game — a match

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