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 124 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. land — to come down
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wind — moving air
  7. foot — a measure
  8. wound — an injury
  9. land — ground
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wound — an injury
  12. shower — rain
  13. pitch — completely
  14. land — a country
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. ball — a great time
  21. snap — to click
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. foot — part of the body

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