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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. prune — to trim
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. can — a tin
  8. cap — a hat
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. prune — to trim
  11. can — to be able to
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bark — to shout
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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