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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spell — letters
  4. snap — to click
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rock — music
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cue — a hint
  15. track — a song
  16. face — to confront
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rock — a stone
  19. spell — a short time
  20. track — a path
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cue — a signal
  24. spell — magic

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