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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. game — a match
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. craft — a skill
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. snap — to click
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. game — wild animals
  11. clip — a video
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. clip — for paper
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. kid — to tease
  16. clip — to cut
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. kid — child
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. chair — a leader
  22. dip — to sink
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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