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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kick — in football
  3. stock — goods
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bat — the animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. scale — in music
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. snap — to click
  15. spell — a short time
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bound — obliged
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stock — shares
  20. spell — letters
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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