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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. snap — to click
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. ball — a great time
  9. land — to come down
  10. ball — a dance
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. land — ground
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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