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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bound — obliged
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. current — happening now
  6. fine — all right
  7. current — electric
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bound — tied together
  12. current — of water
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. shower — rain
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fine — high quality
  18. shower — to wash
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. bound — certain
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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