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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fall — to drop
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — to cut
  7. row — to paddle
  8. clip — for paper
  9. row — a line
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fall — to drop
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — to tease
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fall — the season
  20. clip — a video
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. kid — child
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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