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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spell — a short time
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. spell — letters
  8. can — a tin
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. field — a subject
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. kid — child
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. field — for sport
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spell — magic
  22. toast — bread
  23. snap — to click
  24. field — farmland

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