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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fine — high quality
  8. snap — to click
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — humankind
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fine — all right
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cap — a lid
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wind — moving air
  24. race — a contest

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