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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. face — to point toward
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. current — electric
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. face — to confront
  9. rock — a stone
  10. stem — to come from
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rock — music
  14. current — happening now
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. saw — the tool
  17. current — of water
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. tear — from crying
  21. game — wild animals
  22. tear — to rip
  23. saw — the tool
  24. game — a match

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