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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. bark — to shout
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. march — music
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. scale — in music
  13. sharp — clever
  14. march — the month
  15. mug — a face
  16. content — happy
  17. kick — in football
  18. mug — a cup
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. content — the amount
  24. scale — size or range

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