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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. tear — to rip
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. ground — crushed
  5. club — for dancing
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. track — a song
  10. ground — the earth
  11. content — the amount
  12. track — to keep track
  13. club — for golf
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. club — a group
  19. track — a path
  20. content — happy
  21. ground — a position
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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