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 120 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. swing — in golf
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. net — for catching
  11. snap — to click
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ball — a dance
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. ball — a great time
  17. swing — to play on
  18. net — in sport
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. net — after costs
  23. kid — child
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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