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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. spring — a coil
  3. present — the time now
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rash — a series
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. present — a gift
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. board — to get on
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. present — there
  15. bear — the animal
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. board — a committee
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. spring — the season
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — of water
  24. bear — the animal

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