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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. snap — to click
  3. tear — to rip
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wake — a trail
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. fall — the season
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fine — high quality
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fall — to drop
  21. foot — a measure
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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