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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. snap — to click
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. present — a gift
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. present — the time now
  13. saw — the tool
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. kick — in football
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. present — there
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. saw — the tool

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