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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. drill — army training
  3. wind — moving air
  4. snap — to click
  5. net — after costs
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. clip — for paper
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. drill — the tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. root — the cause
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. clip — a video
  17. wind — moving air
  18. drill — a practice
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. kick — in football
  21. clip — to cut
  22. foot — a measure
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. kick — with a leg

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