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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wound — an injury
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. row — a line
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wound — an injury
  16. content — the amount
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bark — to shout
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. content — happy
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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