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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fine — high quality
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. file — a tool
  5. fine — all right
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. ball — a dance
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. race — humankind
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. ball — a great time
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. race — a contest
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. row — a line
  23. file — a document
  24. race — the arms race

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