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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. track — a song
  3. mate — to breed
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. track — a path
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. spell — magic
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mate — a partner
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mate — a friend
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spell — a short time
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spell — letters
  20. chip — to eat
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chip — for betting

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