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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. board — a committee
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. spring — the season
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spring — of water
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cell — a phone
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cell — in biology
  22. board — to get on
  23. scale — in music
  24. lie — to recline

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