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 116 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. branch — a division
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. snap — to click
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. kick — in football
  16. march — music
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bear — the animal
  19. last — final
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — a weight
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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