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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rush — hurry
  3. present — a gift
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. drill — army training
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. prune — to trim
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. sharp — clever
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. present — the time now
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. present — there
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. prune — the fruit

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